Of Flying Robins
by ProtectorKorii
Summary: This is a collection of stories that involve Robin as a young child, meeting the Justice League, his friends, and dealing with Batman for a father. Lots of Fluff, cutness, and more! New Chapter for Easter is UP!
1. Flying Robins

**A/N: This is my first time every writing and publishing a fanfiction. I absolutely adore fanfics with kid-Robin cuteness. **

**This series will be shorts with Robin that may be funny, cute, sad, or everything combined. A lot of the times they'll involve the Justice League, Young Justice, or other such characters as well. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in here.**

* * *

><p><span>Of Flying Robins:<span>

Robin had been staring at him for a long time now and Superman was starting to get nervous. He'd checked three times but he didn't see anything on his back. Maybe it was something Batman had done. Maybe that was why Robin was the only one staring so intensely at him.

"Is something wrong?" Superman asked as he knelt beside the eight year old.

Said eight year old looked up at him with a frown. "You fly." was all he said. Then the kid jumped off his seat and walked away. Superman just shook his head with a sigh. Those Bats were odd people.

Robin was jealous, simply put. He wanted to fly too. He'd been watching and half the superheroes he knew could fly. Wonder Woman could fly. Martian Manhunter could, Green Lantern could, Hawkgirl could… it wasn't fair. He wanted to fly too!

So all he had to do was figure out how.

He knew why some of them could fly. Hawkgirl had wings and Green Lantern had his ring. He'd asked Wonder Woman why she could fly and she said the gods gave her that power. But he couldn't get wings, a magic ring, or have the gods give him a superpower. So his last resort had been to try and figure out how J'onn and Superman could fly.

He'd been studying them but he still couldn't figure out how they did it. It wasn't fair!

Robin slouched as he walked into the kitchen. He was trying so hard to figure it out on his own. He knew he could just ask Batman, but then he'd probably get some really long boring explanation. And then Batman would tell him he wasn't allowed to fly anyway.

"Hey there, kid!" Flash exclaimed as Robin climbed onto a chair. Flash always seemed to be in the kitchen. "Why so glum?"

"I'm trying to figure out something, but it isn't working." Robin complained. He hid his face in his arms. It was no fair. Batman always solved his mysteries.

"What are you trying? Maybe I can help." Flash zoomed to sit across from him. "What is it?"

Robin thought for a moment then brightened suddenly. "You can help." He said excitedly. "You're a scientist, right?"

"Kind of, yea."

"So that means you're really smart." Robin said excitedly. "So you'd know!"  
>Flash grinned. "Of course. What's your question?"<p>

"How come Superman can fly?"

Flash's grin started to fade.

"Cause' he and J'onn are the only two I don't know how. Diana had the gods, Hawkgirl has wings, and John has his ring. But I don't know what they both have."

Flash frowned. He couldn't tell the kid he didn't know. Then Robin wouldn't think he was really smart. "It's simple, Robin." Flash opted for saying, hoping to stall. "I'm sure you could figure it out yourself."

"But I've tried!" Robin complained.

"Well… what do Superman and J'onn have in common?" Flash frowned as he tried to think too.

Robin's nose scrunched up as he thought. "Capes?"

A smile lit up Flash's face. "Bingo!"

Robin tilted his head to the side. "They can fly because of their capes? But I have one and I can't fly."

"That's because their capes are special." Flash said quickly.

Robin nodded, suddenly smiling brightly. "That makes sense! Thanks Flash!"

"Any time, kid." Flash waved as Robin bounded off.

Robin now knew what he had to do. It was simple. He just had to get one of Superman's capes. It couldn't be too hard. He was pretty sure that Superman didn't lock his door.

He practically skipped to Superman's room. He knocked and to his horror Superman opened the door. "Hello, Robin."

Robin's face fell and Superman frowned nervously. "What is it?"

Robin hesitated. "Nothing." He whispered.

Superman stepped aside and gestured him into the room. "Is something the matter?" he asked. Robin wasn't usually a quiet fellow. And he had been staring at him all day.

"Its… well…" Robin played nervously with his cape. "Can I…. have one of your…capes?"

Superman frowned. "Why?"

"Cause' I wana be like you!" Robin blurted out. He slapped his hands over his mouth and blushed.

Superman laughed. "Does Batman know that?"

Robin shook his head quickly. "I didn't want to tell him. He'd say no."

Superman chuckled. "That sounds like Batman." Clark wasn't quite sure why Batman acted like he hated him all the time. "So you just want a cape?"

Robin nodded firmly. "Please? I'll be careful."

"I trust you." Superman said. He went through to his closet and pulled out an extra suit. He pulled off the cape and handed it to the boy. Robin's eyes went wide and he stared at it in awe. Superman grinned widely. He couldn't wait to tell Bruce that Robin wanted to be like _him_. That would drive Batman nuts.

"Thank you!" Robin exclaimed.

"Just bring it back when you're done."

"I promise!" Robin bounded out of the room, the cape trailing along behind him. Clark chuckled to himself.

"Has anyone seen Robin?" Batman asked. It had been three hours since he heard from the boy. Usually Robin wouldn't stop bugging him. Or Robin would be bugging someone else and they'd come to complain to him. After three hours of nothing, that worried Batman.

"He was in your room last I heard." John said. "I heard him banging around. He said he was training."

Batman grumbled. If Robin wanted to do acrobatic tricks he should try them in the training room, not in Batman's room. Not that he ever used it, but still.

"He came to see me an hour or so ago." Superman added.

Batman frowned. "Why?"

Superman grinned slightly. "He wanted to borrow one of my capes."

"Why?"

"Well, you know how children are. They find a role model that they look up to and they want to be like them and…." Superman trailed off. He watched as his words sunk into the Dark Knight.

The man scowled deeply and didn't say anything else. Diana however laughed at the idea. "It was just last week that he wanted to be exactly like _you,_ Batman."

"Maybe next week I'll be his role model." Flash said with a grin.

"Not on your life." Batman hissed.

Flash just smiled. "Soon you'll see him running around in a little flash outfit instead of Superman's cape." His laughter faded suddenly. "Wait… you gave him your cape?"

Superman frowned. "Yes. Why?"

"Noreasongottogo!" Flash said in a rush and ran out.

The other heroes looked at each other with a shrug. "Maybe he's just jealous." Green Lantern said. "I bet he'll be back with a ridiculous cape attached to his costume."

The heroes chuckled to themselves. They kept talking. They were all hanging around. The only one who was working was Batman. He stopped though when Robin still hadn't appeared. Where _was_ that kid? Usually they couldn't keep him away. Batman sighed and turned away from the monitor. He started to walk down the steps when a flash of red caught his eye.

Robin was up on one of the balconies in the tall room. A large red cape trailed behind him. Batman sighed. He'd need to talk to Robin about this when they got home.

Seeing that he ward was in no immediate danger, Batman turned away.

But then Robin jumped.

"Robin!" Batman shouted in a very un-batman like way. Without thinking he'd shot of his grappling gun and was halfway across the room.

His arms wrapped around the boy and they fell to the floor.

"Robin! What were you thinking?" Batman yelled as he pushed himself up. Robin whimpered softly and Batman quickly checked him over. Nothing was broken, just bruised.

"What happened?" Hawkgirl called. She and the other members of the League had hurried out when they heard Batman's scream.

"Were you trying to get yourself killed?" Batman demanded furiously.

Robin shook his head. His lip trembled weakly. "B-but… but Flash said it would work!"

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Flash said what?"

"He said that Superman could fly cause' of the cape!" Robin said, gesturing to the red fabric that lay in a heap at his feet. "But it didn't work!"

"That is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard." Batman said.

Robin whimpered again. "I thought it would work." Robin whispered. "You can fly when you have the right cape."

"That's a glider, Robin." Batman corrected. "I can't fly."

"I can only fly because I'm an alien." Superman said.

Robin nodded weakly. "Oh… I guess that makes sense."

Batman sighed at Robin's depressed tone. "Are you hurt?" He asked in a much kinder voice.

"No."

"Good." Batman stood and pulled Robin up with him.

Gloomily the boy picked up the bunch of red and handed it back to Superman. "Sorry I got your cape dirty." He said softly. "I was just trying to fly."

Superman looked at Batman then back at the child. He looked back hopefully at Batman who just sighed and nodded. "Don't drop him." Batman grumbled.

Superman grinned widely. He knelt in front of Robin. "So you just want to fly?"

"Uh-huh."

"That can be arranged." Robin's eyes widened hopefully. "Here, hold my hands."

Robin shrieked in joy as his feet lifted off the ground. He danged from Superman's hands as they flew around the room. Robin was laughing and swinging back and forth now.

Batman's eyes narrowed as they passed for the fifth time. Robin was exclaiming how this was the "best thing ever!" very loudly. Diana chuckled and placed her hand on Batman's shoulder.

"After this, Superman might _really_ be his favorite superhero."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I hope you enjoyed the story! Any advice, tips, or ideas are welcome. I'm hoping to be posting more one-shots and cute stories about Robin soon!


	2. Robin's Teddy

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or watched my story. I'm glad everyone liked the first chapter so much! And as for the people who gave me ideas, I added them to my long list so they should show up at sometime. If not as a full story, then as a part, so thank you as well!**

**I originally was going to post a different short story first, but this one was finished and I thought you may want to read one soon! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or settings. I don't even own that teddybear.**

* * *

><p>When Batman and Robin came to the tower that day they had an additional member to their team. Robin was grinning wider than they'd ever seen from before. He ran up to Superman immediately. "Look! His name is Teddy!" Robin exclaimed as he thrust the stuffed bear in Superman's face.<p>

The man of steel chuckled and knelt next to the boy. "I see! He's a very handsome looking bear."

Robin gleamed. "Isn't he? He's really really special." The boy stroked the bear's head lovingly. "He's my best friend in the whole world!" Robin bounded away when he saw Diana approaching. "Diana! Look at Teddy!"

Superman grinned as he stood. Batman's eyes followed the boy as he ran around showing off his new toy. His eyes fell on Superman and a scowl formed on his face. Superman's grin widened. Batman was just jealous. "Now I'm his favorite superhero and Teddy is his new best friend," Superman teased, "What _are_ you going to do Batman?"

Batman's eyes narrowed to a deadly look. He spun on his heel and turned towards the computer screens. He refused to say another word to Superman after this. He'd already been putting up with comments from Robin talking about how wonderful Superman was. He'd also had to make a total of nine excuses as why Superman wasn't going to take him flying again.

"This is Teddy." He heard Robin announcing proudly to yet another superhero. "He's my best friend!" Batman grimaced. Just last week _he'd_ been his best friend. What had Alfred been thinking giving that boy the bear?

Batman growled. He wasn't jealous. Not at all.

"Batman!" Robin grabbed at his mentor's leg. "Teddy and I are going to go play."

Batman gave a curt nod and the boy ran off. "Don't make a mess!" He called, already knowing that it was a futile cause. Whatever room Robin went into would be a disaster zone by the end of the day.

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you. You've<em> got<em> to see this show. It's the funniest thing in the world!" Flash was exclaiming loudly as he dragged Superman and Green Lantern down the hall. "It's hilarious!"

John rolled his eyes. "That's what you said about the past six shows you've made me watch."

"But this one really is funny." Flash insisted.

Superman shrugged when John's eyes met his. They might as well just suffer through it. If they didn't Flash would mope about and a moping Flash wasn't a pretty thing.

Flash opened the doors to the entertainment room. It was all dark inside so he flipped the power on.

A scream filled the room and the television flashed to life with a man-eating beast. Flash spun around to find the remote, only to have a large dark object hanging in front of his face. Flash gave a cry, grabbed the offending object, and hurled it away from him.

The television was still screaming bloody murder.

The object flew towards Green Lantern. Between the screaming and darkness Lantern lashed out with his ring, expecting the worst. The object was blasted backwards towards Superman. The man of steel caught it with his right hand and tossed it onto the floor.

Finally Flash got a hold of the remote and switched the channel. He let out a breath of relief. "Ok! Well… now that that's done…" He flicked on the lights and looked around the room, chuckling to himself. "It looks like Robin was here."

That must have been why the couch cushions were piled in the corner in the shape of a fort, and why the remote had been hidden at the top of the bookcase, and why there were crayons on the floor and a large assortment of children's books littered around the room. And half under the couch was his teddy bear. Flash chuckled.

"We should clean up." Green Lantern said gruffly. He felt stupid for being frightened by a television and whatever that thing had been Flash had thrown at him.

The heroes set to cleaning up after Robin and themselves.

"We should give this back to Robin." Flash said as he fished the bear out from under the bed. "You know how attached he was to it."

"I know. It's his best friend and all that." Green Lantern chuckled. "He showed him to everyone." "He was so proud of him and…and… oh no…."

"What?" Superman turned and froze when he saw.

The teddy bear's head had been ripped clean off. His right paw was torn off and a large gash was along his back. Piles of fluff fluttered from his neck as Flash held it up.

"I found his head." Green Lantern said softly. The head was there but the top half of the face had been torn off.

"We're dead." Flash announced. "We. Are. Dead."

"It's just one of his millions of toys." Green Lantern tried to rationalize. "I bet he won't even notice."

The heroes looked at the ruined animal. "Yea. I'm sure he won't notice." Flash agreed halfheartedly.

The door opened. Not even a second had passed before Flash had grabbed the remains of the animal and shoved them back under the couch.

"Hi!" Robin said cheerily as he entered the room. He grinned at the heroes but they just stared at him with guilty expressions. "You cleaned up!"

"We're sorry." Superman exclaimed.

Flash elbowed him in the ribs.

"Why? Alfred says it's good to clean up. And now Batman won't make me." Robin said with a smile. He looked up at the ceiling where his teddy bear had last been hanging. He'd been playing save the citizen. Robin's little face creased in confusion. "Have you seen Teddy?"

"Teddy? Teddy who? I don't know a Teddy." Flash said quickly.

Robin cocked his head to the side. "Oh… I thought I left him here."

"Maybe Batman has him." Green Lantern suggested.

Robin nodded. "Ok. Thanks!" He smiled at the two men and hurried off to find Batman.

The heroes looked at each other. "We're dead." Flash repeated.

"He'll forget about it. It's only a matter of time." Superman said.

* * *

><p>"Batman? Have you seen Teddy?" Robin asked. Batman barely glanced at the boy before shaking his head.<p>

"I thought you were playing with him in the entertainment room." Batman said without glancing from the monitor screen.

"I was, but then I went to get a drink. And then I went to get a coloring book. I was coloring elephants. But then I remembered Teddy still needed to be saved, so I went back to find him but he wasn't there."

"Check your room." Batman said. The kid had probably just forgotten that he'd brought it along. Just like when he'd forgotten his sunglasses were on his head yesterday.

Robin nodded and hurried off yet again.

* * *

><p>"What should we do with it?" Superman asked. The three heroes were sitting around the coffee table where Teddy's remains lay. "We can't just throw him out. Batman or Robin might find him. Then we'll be dead."<p>

"We should tell Batman. He can just buy Robin a new one." Green Lantern said.

The others glared at him and snorted. "Right. Great idea." Flash said sarcastically. "Why don't we just kill ourselves? It'll be less painful. You _know_ how angry he gets if Robin is upset!"

"He's right." Superman said seriously. "If Robin gets upset by this, Batman will have our heads."

Green Lantern sighed. "Well…can we fix it?"

"I don't think any amount of sewing will do that. They'll know something happened." Flash said.

"Maybe if we just distract him then Robin will forget about the bear until Batman buys him something new." Superman said hopefully.

They finally agreed on this. The next question was how to transport the remains.

* * *

><p>Robin frowned as he exited the room. No Teddy. Where could he have gone? Robin stood outside his room, thinking hard. Where else had he gone? He'd gone to color a drawing. He'd borrowed paper from Diana's room. Maybe she had Teddy!<p>

Robin bounded off for the Amazon. "Diana!" He exclaimed as the lady came into his sight. "Have you seen Teddy?"

"Your bear? Not since you were showing him off this morning." Robin's frown came back. "What's the matter? Did you lose him?"

"I didn't lose him! He's just missing." Robin insisted. "I left him in the entertainment room but now he's gone."

Diana smiled softly at the boy. "Well, how about we go check there again. Maybe you missed him."

"Ok." Robin agreed softly. He followed the woman down the hall and Diana chuckled. For being raised by the world's greatest detective, Robin was still just a little boy. He could have misplaced the bear easily.

"Ok. Ok…. Just act cool…" Flash said.

"Stop vibrating! You're giving us away." John hissed. Flash held his breath, hoping it would help. Finally he was calm enough that he'd stopped vibrating in place. Flash settled down onto the couch.

They were trying to watch the TV show Flash had insisted was so funny, but no one could really concentrate.

"See? We'll just take another look around." Diana's voice came as she and Robin entered the room. "I'm sure Teddy is around here somewhere."

All three men froze. They gave each other slow nervous looks. Oh no….

Robin's sad form came into their line of vision. Slowly he paced around the room, looking under chairs and tables.

"Um… what are you doing?" Flash asked nervously.

"Looking for Teddy." Robin said softly as he inched his way under a recliner. "You're sure you didn't see him when you cleaned up?"

"Nope!" Flash said a bit too loudly.

Diana gave him a look, but Robin didn't notice. He was shimmying his way under the couch now. Suddenly Robin gasped. He rolled out holding a small ball of fluff.

"This is Teddy's!" He exclaimed. He ran over to Diana. "Someone kidnapped Teddy!"

Before the heroes could say anything Robin was running for the room, yelling for Batman. Diana gave the three men a suspicious glance before hurrying after the boy herself.

"Batman!" Robin ran back into the monitor womb. Batman groaned slightly. He was _trying_ to work. He tried not to let his irritation show though as the boy ran up to his side. "Someone kidnapped Teddy."

Batman glanced at his ward. The boy's eyes were big and he looked worried. In his hands he had a ball of fluff "See? They hurt him too." Robin said, shoving the ball at him.

"Are you sure this wasn't from playing with him?" Batman asked.

Robin shook his head. "I promised to be careful with him."

"But you lost him."

Robin sniffed. "I didn't!"

Batman's spine stiffened at the impending tears. Even he wasn't immune to them. "Maybe someone found him." He suggested. "I'll put it in the newsletter." The bulletin got sent around the watchtower daily. Maybe someone had just cleaned up after the boy.

Robin nodded but he still looked dejected. "You could ask others." Batman suggested.

"Alfred is gona be mad." Robin whispered softly.

"He won't be mad." Batman assured the boy. "If you find him then Alfred won't even need to know."

Robin nodded again and slowly slunk off.

* * *

><p>Superman entered Green Lantern's room with a piece of paper in his hands. "We have to tell." He said firmly.<p>

The other two looked up. They were on the computer trying to find where they could get another bear for Robin.

"Look." Superman handed them the sheet of paper. It was a photocopy, one of the many that now hung around the building. At the top was drawn a stuffed bear.

_Name: Teddy_

_Description: Brown, fuzzy, very special, gives good hugs, is a good listener, plays, is kind, and is a really really good friend. _

_If found please return to Robin. _

_Reward: Hugs from me and Teddy_.

"I don't think I can do it." Flash whispered as he stared at the sheet. "I mean… can you just imagine Robin's face? I… He'll _cry_. Or worse? What if he's angry? What if he doesn't do anything? What if he cries and then Batman kills us?"

"Let's see if we can find another one first." Green Lantern said. "If we can, then we'll get it back before he knows. If we can't find one then we'll confess."

Superman seemed pained. "But we should tell now. It's the right thing to do."

Flash bit his lip. "How about you and I go see if Robin knows where he got the bear from. Then we'll be done with this sooner."

Superman nodded. They left Green Lantern to his work and walked through the halls. The "Lost" posters for Teddy were tapped up all over the watch tower. Small groups of heroes clustered in front of them. Some chuckled and others seemed thoroughly disappointed. A couple were even talking of searching the tower themselves.

Superman and Flash entered the cafeteria which is where they heard Robin was. They found him sitting between Green Arrow and Diana. The boy's head was in his hands and he looked totally and utterly depressed.

Flash and Superman exchanged a look before going to sit with them. Their hearts froze when the boy looked up.

"Uh… we saw your drawings." Flash said lamely. "They're really good. A good likeness, I mean."

Robin nodded weakly.

Superman tried to smile at the boy. "It'll be ok, Robin. There are more teddy bears out there."

Diana shot him a warning look.

"I can't get another teddy." Robin said softly.

"Of course you can!" Flash said eagerly. "Where did you get yours? I can get another one right away."

Robin shook his head. "You can't get another teddy like mine!" He exclaimed. "I _made_ it."

Flash felt the color drain from his face. "What?"

"Alfred helped me make him." Robin repeated, sniffing. "We cut out the pieces and sewed it and stuffed him! Alfred even let me put a heart inside him."

"Oh… oh…well…" Flash looked nervously at Superman, but the man of steel was at a loss for words.

Robin was trying really hard not to cry right now. "And-and then we put pieces of fabric inside with words on them so he'd be them. I wrote happy, and nice, and funny and…. And he _was_! But now he's gone!" Robin sobbed softly. "And Alfred will be sad because he was so happy that he helped me and I was happy because I did it and… and…" This time the boy gave out a wail. He buried his head in his arms again.

Superman tried to open his mouth but every time he did he choked.

Strong arms wrapped around Robin. Batman was there, pulling the little bird against his chest. Robin hid himself in his father, sobbing softly. Batman sighed and pulled his cape over his son.

"I can't believe that in this whole place no one has found a simple stuffed animal." Batman growled.

Superman gulped. This was bad. This was very _very_ bad. Bruce didn't use his 'Daddy-bats' voice unless something had happened to Robin. If he was using that voice now it meant that whoever had done something to hurt his child was going to regret living.

Batman's deep scowl fell on him and Superman felt his heart freeze. Oh no… did he _know_? He knew! That's what he was looking at him! He was just waiting for him to confess!

"Superman, can't you use your x-ray vision?" Green Arrow asked suddenly. "I mean… usually we wouldn't ask but… god the kids crying!"

"Of course." Superman said quickly. "I'll go do that." He practically leapt away from the table.

"I'll… help." Flash said and he sped off towards Lantern's room.

Green Arrow raised an eyebrow. "They're acting weird, don't you think?"

"They're probably just worried about Robin." Diana said. "Everyone is doing what we can to help him." After all, no one liked seeing Robin so upset.

Batman's eyes narrowed even more. "Robin," he said softly, "Did you say they cleaned up the room?"

"Yea." Robin whispered.

Batman nodded slightly. He'd have to go check the security tapes. He glanced down at the boy in his arms and sighed. Well, later he would. He carried the boy to his room. For now he just wanted to see Robin smile again.

* * *

><p>"Cancel the search!" Flash exclaimed as he ran full speed into Green Lantern's room.<p>

The man jumped. "What?"

"There isn't another bear out there that will do. Robin _made_ him." He pointed helplessly at the pieces of bear.

"Then I guess we'll just have to confess." Green Lantern said softly.

"We're going to die." Flash moaned, hiding his head in his hands. "Batman was going all Daddy-Bats. Usually he only does that if a villain hurts Robin. And then he puts them in a body cast for months. We-are-going-to-die."

"Batman doesn't kill."Green Lantern reminded him, though that wasn't a very comforting thought at the time.

"He's going to hang us up by our intestines and let the birds pick at our remains and laugh the whole time!"  
>The two sat in silence. "We'll wait until Superman comes back." John said. "Then we'll go and confess."<p>

There was another moment of silence. Barry groaned again. "He was crying." He whispered. "The kid was sobbing."

"I almost wish Batman would kill us." John agreed. "I feel awful."

"Can we go to jail for this?"

"No… but we should."

While the heroes lounged in their guilt Superman was wallowing in his. He was pretending to go through the watchtower with his x-ray vision and trying to figure out how to explain to Batman that he hadn't found the bear. He paused outside their door. Batman was holding Robin, cuddling him and cooing over him. Superman shivered nervously. He was doomed.

He flew back to Green Lantern's room. The two heroes were both sitting on the bed, their heads in their hands.

"We have to confess." Superman said.

The others nodded. They really didn't have a choice.

Now all they had to do was steel themselves for the upcoming terror of the bat.

* * *

><p>The monitor room was packed. Superman felt his mouth go dry. He'd been hoping to talk to Batman alone, but now there were heroes all over. They'd forgotten about the briefing Batman was giving everyone about the new system of codes.<p>

It took an hour for the presentation and the three tired to listen, but it was near impossible. They kept fidgeting and looking nervously at each other. Towards the end of the production they heard whispers from the other heroes wondering where Robin was and if he was ok.

"Batman put him down for a nap." They heard one whisper. "Did you see how sad he looked?"

"I know!" Their friend whispered back. "I'd do anything to see him smiling right now."

"Who would take a kid's stuffed animal anyway?"

"Really."

Why wouldn't the ground just swallow them up? Or maybe some evil villains could attack. _Anything_ would be preferable to this.

Finally the presentation ended and the three made their way up to the platform.

Batman gave them a look and turned away. "Batman, we need to talk to you." Superman said softly.

Batman nodded stiffly. "Fine. What is it?"

"It's about Robin…" Flash started.

"I don't suppose you know where his bear is?" Was it just their imagination, or did Batman sound like he was accusing them?

Green Lantern swallowed hard. He'd never had the full effect of the daddy-bats glare before. "Well… we kind of do…" he said slowly.

"You see, it's kind of a funny story." Flash said, laughing nervously. "Well, maybe not all that funny. It might seem that way in a few years though, you know?"

Batman said nothing and Flash gulped. He looked hopefully at Superman.

"Well the thing is…" Why did there have to be so many other people here? They'd witness it! They'd know! "We kind of… accidentally…"

"Daddy!" Every hero in the room froze when they heard the shout. Robin stood in the door, wide eyed and clutching the mangled body of his bear to his chest.

The boy ran full till up the stairs and launched himself into Batman's arms, sobbing. "They killed him!" He wailed. Batman felt his heart drop as Robin cradled the broken body to his chest. Robin sobbed and buried his face in Batman's shoulder. "I went to check Lantern's room- and he was _dead_! He's all ripped up and-and-and… Daddy!"

Batman clutched the boy to him. His lips pulled away from his teeth in a snarl and he turned to the three in front of him. "Care to explain yourselves?" He growled out.

"We didn't mean to!" Flash exclaimed.

"It was hanging from the ceiling." Superman added. "We acted on reflex!"

"Flash threw it at me and I didn't know what else I was supposed to do." Lantern said.

"Hey! It's not my fault! I wasn't the one who tore his head in half! That was Superman!" Flash exclaimed.

"You're the one who threw it in the first place." Superman said.

"But you were the one who-"

"Enough!" Batman roared. The three fell silent. There was a soft sob from Robin. Batman glanced down at him and his face transformed from anger to sadness.

"Daddy… I wana go home." Robin whimpered. He looked at his broken toy. "Do you think… think Alfred can fix it?"

"We'll see." Batman said gently. "Where is the rest of him?"

"In his room." Robin whispered.

Batman nodded. His glare returned as he looked at the culprits. "I'll deal with you later." He hissed. Then he strode away to gather the remains and take Robin home.

The three were left standing on the platform, feeling utterly awful. They looked up and desperately wished Batman had just killed them. Everyone from the meeting was there, giving them awful expressions. Like they just kicked all the puppies in the world and stolen all the ice cream. Though, in a way maybe that would have been better.

* * *

><p>The next two days were torture for the three. They'd tried explaining what had happened to the rest of the League. While everyone understood they couldn't help but be angry after them. They'd made Robin cry. They'd made an eight year old so sad…. Of course, the three just kept kicking themselves for it. They wanted to know what was going on but they couldn't muster the will to call Batman to find out.<p>

Now the three sat in the monitor womb. It was past midnight and they were all exhausted. Batman had changed the schedules so they had the worst shifts every single day for the next two months. They doubted that was the end of his wrath though. He just hadn't been around to administer it.

Flash yawned loudly.

"Batman to Watchtower." The computer came to life and John jumped.

"What is it?" John asked.

"I'm done with patrol. Bring me up."

"Ready when you are."

Moments later Batman appeared. He was holding Robin in his arms, his cape wrapped over him like a blanket. Batman went up the stairs to meet with the three.

"Batman…" Superman started. "We're really, really, sorry."  
>"You should have told him." Batman said simply. "You hid it for hours."<p>

"How long did you know?"  
>"Since I got Robin from lunch. I checked the security cameras."<p>

"Then you know it wasn't really our fault." Barry said quickly.

Batman scowled at him. "I understand your actions. That doesn't make them right. You need to learn to analyze the objects. It could have been a bomb or liquid that touching would have hurt. Or that could have been a child. If it was you would have killed them."

The men went silent and stared at their feet.

Batman let them wallow for awhile. "You're going to make it up to Robin." He said sternly. "Flash, you're taking him and Wally to the amusement park on Saturday. You will do _anything_ they want, understood?" His glare fell on the other two. "I haven't decided what yet, but you _will_ be making it up to him." He said sternly. And, if he got his way, it would be in the most humiliating way possible.

"We'll do it." Superman said quickly.

Barry agreed even though a day with a ninja and speedster was torture. Especially if he had to let them both have sugar. And go on rides. Batman probably knew that though.

"Is he ok now?" John asked nervously.

Batman gave a small nod. "You're very lucky that Alfred was able to salvage it. Otherwise…" "I swear it will never happen again." Flash said quickly.

"It better not." Batman hissed.

In his arms Robin shifted. "mmm… Batman?" Robin mumbled as his eyes opened. "Are we done?"

Batman smiled slightly. "We're done. We're at the Watchtower now. Go back to sleep."

"Did we get them?"

"We got them." He assured the sleepy boy. Robin nodded and rolled over in Batman's arms.

Flash couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. The boy held his new and improved Bear in his arms.

Where the bear's face had been torn there was now a cowl like Batman's. Where his paw had been ripped off there were now gloves. The bear even had a little cape and utility belt.

"Batbear?" Superman asked with a grin.

"That's what he's calling it." Batman shrugged. "He's making a Robin one too." His eyes narrowed at them. "And if you destroy that one I _will_ gut you."

"We wouldn't dream of it." Green Lantern promised.

Batman nodded. He gave them all one last appraising look before going to his room.

Carefully he lay the boy down and began to undo his shoes and dress him for bed. He had to pry the bear out of his hands. It had taken an hour to convince him that Batbear wasn't good for fighting crime with. The kid had an unrealistic fear now that if he left the bear alone it would be destroyed again.

Batman smiled as closed the last button on Robin's blue pjs. "There you are." He whispered. Then he himself changed. He climbed in beside his ward.

"Batbear." The boy whispered. Bruce grinned. He'd thought the boy was asleep. He picked the bear off the floor and handed it over. Dick grinned and curled up around his stuffed toy. He gave his father a sleepy look. "I like Batbear." He whispered.

"I'm glad. Soon you'll have a Robin Bear too."

"No, silly," Robin giggled lightly. "The Robin Bear is for _you_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed the story! Please review. I use all of them to get better, so if you point out things that I messed up in or things I did well at, it will help to make future chapters more enjoyable!**

**PS: OwlheadAthena wrote a story response to this chapter called REVENGE OF THE TEDDY BEAR. So if you're interested in seeing the different reactions the Justice League has to poor Robin's bear being destory, and how his "big brothers" Roy and Wally get revenge read it!**


	3. Homework Help

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/watched my story. I'm glad so many people enjoy it! Reading Daddy!Bats and little-Robin fluff was always a favorite of mine. Its nice to see that I'm not alone.**

**This chapter is inspired by tkaa who left a review mentioning having the Justice League help Robin do his homework. I love reading reviews where ideas pop into my head! Keep them coming!**

**It isn't my favorite chapter, but Robin makes me laugh, so hopefully he'll make you laugh as well.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Even the homework problems were taken from a worksheet I found on google.**

* * *

><p>"Batman, calm down!" Superman laughed. "He'll be fine."<p>

Batman's scowl didn't leave his face.

"We'll take good care of him. Nothing will happen." Wonder Woman added with a smile.

Batman didn't even blink.

"Honestly, Batman. We're all superheroes here. What makes you think we couldn't take care of Robin for a couple hours?" Green Lantern asked, shaking his head.

Batman gave a deep sound somewhere between a growl and a sigh. "Fine. Remember-"

"He has to be in bed by nine, he isn't allowed anything sweet, no sugar, he has to finish his homework, and he isn't allowed to watch TV. We _know_." Flash groaned. "You've told us nine hundred times."

"And-"

"And if he has a nightmare or something goes wrong, we call you. We know!" Flash exclaimed.

Batman's eyes narrowed but he finally nodded. He looked down at Robin who was holding his suitcase tightly in his hands. Robin smiled up at him. "I'll be ok." He said happily.

Batman nodded and knelt beside his son. "Be good." He said sternly.

Robin nodded. "I will! I always am." He hugged his father. "Bye-bye!"

Batman returned the hug. Then, with another glare at the heroes, left. The league was left staring at the little boy they were babysitting for the day.

"So what are we going to do?" Flash asked.

"I have homework."

"We have hours, Robin." Superman chuckled. "Homework can wait."

Robin shook his head. "No. Batman said we have to do all my homework first. It takes a long time."

The heroes shrugged. They'd try it.

"How many problems do you have?" Green Lantern asked.

"Six." Robin said. He spread the sheet of paper before him and picked up a pencil. "There are six problems on a sheet. Batman said it'll take me all night."

"All night for six problems?" Superman asked, disbelieving. Robin was a smart boy. He doubted second grade homework was really that bad.

"But that's how long it takes." Robin said, frowning slightly. "The math is really hard."

"Do you need help then?" Superman asked.

Robin nodded. "Batman always helps me with my homework."

"Alright. We'll help you then too." Superman sat beside the boy and J'onn sat on his left. The other heroes sat around the table with them. "Read us the first problem."

Robin squinted at the first one. "Frank begins his day with fourteen pennies and finds nine more on the street. How many pennies does Frank have altogether?" He read. Robin grinned. "That one is easy!"

J'onn smiled slightly. "Good. Then how many does he have?"

"Fourteen."

Superman shook his head. "No, Robin. It said he got nine more."

"No." The eight year old countered. "It said he found nine more on the street. They aren't his."

"But they're pennies. He's keeping him."

Robin frowned. "That's not very nice." He said. "He should turn them in to lost and found."

"They're just pennies. It's ok to keep a penny." Superman said.

"But Batman said stealing is wrong."

"Stealing is wrong." Wonder Woman said. "But he just found them."

"The pennies aren't his though! He shouldn't be keeping them!" Robin exclaimed.

"Let's just assume that it's ok to keep pennies." Green Lantern said.

Robin shook his head. "No. You can't. It isn't allowed. That means he's stealing other people's pennies."

"Robin…" Superman sighed. Now he knew why it took two hours for six problems.

Robin crossed his arms. "He has fourteen pennies." Robin said firmly.

"Just let him write it down." Flash suggested.

"Batman will be mad if he doesn't get the right answers." Superman said.

"But I _did_ get the right answer!" Robin protested.

John sighed. "Robin, it's ok to keep pennies. The… the law says that if you find a penny your allowed to keep it."

Robin frowned. "Really?"

"Really."

Robin nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense. Batman has that really big penny in the batcave. I guess he couldn't have stolen it."

"Right!" Superman said. "So since it's ok for him to keep pennies, how many pennies does Frank have now?"

Robin had to reread the problem. "Fourteen… plus nine…. He has twenty three pennies!" Robin declared happily.

"Right!" Green Lantern said with a grin.

Robin smiled back and went onto the next problem. _At Meg's birthday party, there are 21 slices of cake and seven guests. How many slices of cake can each guest eat?_

"That depends on how hungry they are." Robin said firmly.

The heroes groaned. "They're all equally hungry." Flash said.

"The problem doesn't say so."

"It's implied."

"I don't even know a Meg. Why would I be at her birthday party? Shouldn't they have just cut the cake into seven pieces?"

Hawkgirl rolled her eyes. "They were expecting twenty one guests but only seven showed up."

"Oh. I guess Meg isn't very popular then." Robin said. "When Batman has parties lots of people show up."

"How many slices would each guest get?" Superman asked.

"Well, who are the guests?" Robin asked. "Because if Flash is there you have to give him more cake than other people and Batman doesn't eat cake and I'd want two slices."

"Let's just assume that it's all kids and they all want the same number of pieces."

"That's silly."

"Just assume, Robin."

Robin nodded. "Oh, then they'd get three slices each. It's not really true though. Usually people want more than one slice, especially if Alfred makes the cake."

"Just write it down."

"Ok." Robin read the next question. "On Wednesday you saw twelve Robins in one tree and seven on another. How many Robins did you see all together?" Robin burst into giggles.

J'onn nodded. "How many Robins?"

"Well it just said on Wednesday." Robin said. "I don't know how many I've seen in my whole life."

"Robin…" Superman groaned.

"Let's see… if I saw nineteen on Wednesday then I guess we can assume that I see that many every day. And there are three hundred and sixty five days a year, so that's six thousand nine hundred and thirty five in a year. And since I'm eight years old that means that I've seen fifty five thousand four hundred and eighty robins in my whole life. Not including me being Robin, of course." Robin said. "And I guess I wouldn't have seen them in the winter so maybe-"

"Robin!"

"Yea?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Did you just do that all in your head?" Flash asked.

Robin nodded. "Uh-huh."

"I think they only meant that one Wednesday." Superman groaned.

"Oh." Robin shrugged. "They should have said so." He wrote nineteen on his paper and went onto the next question.

The hero's eyes trailed to the clock. Three problems in an hour. No wonder Batman had said to give him a lot of time.

"Read the next question." Green Lantern sighed. Might as well get it over with.

"Your friends just gave you twelve cookies. Now you have nineteen. How many cookies did you have before your friends gave you their twelve cookies?" Robin read the question and thought for a moment. "I'd have had seven before they gave me theirs."

"Good!" Wonder Woman praised him. He'd answered that fast!

She'd spoken too soon. Robin had written his answer down but now he was staring off into space, thinking. "They must have been really bad cookies." Robin said. "Otherwise no one would have given them away."

Before he could think about this Superman read the next question loudly

"You have twenty friends. Each friend gives you a quarter. How much money do you have now?"

"Why'd they give me a quarter?"

"They owed you from a bet." Flash said quickly.

"What were we betting on?"

"Um… Who would win in a fight."

"Who was fighting?"

"Batman and Joker."

"Why would anyone bet on the Joker? Batman always wins."

Flash groaned and looked a Hawkgirl. "They were betting on me or Flash." She supplied.

Robin tilted his head to the side. "Who won?"

"Me." They said at the same time.

Robin giggled. "Then no one won. Why was I getting the money?"

"You bet that they'd both win." Green Lantern said.

"Oh. I'm smart."

Wonder Woman chuckled. "How much money did you win, Robin?"

"Five dollars." He said as he wrote it down. He frowned again. "How come I didn't get my money? No one gave me five dollars."

"Ask Batman." Superman said.

"Yea… he has lots of money." Robin nodded. "Ok. This is the last problem." Superman couldn't believe how excited he was for bed time. "At least on this worksheet…" Robin trailed off.

John's breath caught. "How many more do you have?"

"Four."

"We'll be up for hours!" Hawkgirl exclaimed.

Flash snorted. "You will be. I won't!"  
>He got up but Superman snarled. "You will sit back down. We are all going to sit here until he finishes his homework. Understand?"<p>

Muttering under their breath and wishing they had kryptonite, the heroes all sat down at the table.

"Alright. Here's the next question." J'onn read. "You have ten candy bars and you give six to your friends. How many do you have left?"

Robin's nose crinkled up as he thought. "Friends or candy bars?"

It was five in the morning, but they'd done it. They'd suffered through every single one of Robin's questions. They'd finished them all and now he was sleeping soundly in bed. Superman hated to think that in just two hours he had to be at work. Bruce really owed him for that.

Speaking of Bruce… Batman finally appeared in the teleporter. He took in the heroes' harried looks and smirked. "Homework troubles?"

"How do you deal with it?" Hawkgirl demanded.

"I'm patient." Batman said. He walked to the table to collect Robin's things.

"We were up for hours doing all his worksheets!" Flash exclaimed.

Batman shook his head. "He only had six problems. It shouldn't have been that bad."

"Six?" Superman demanded. "It was six per worksheet. He had four of them! That's eight hours of homework. Almost."

Batman raised a brow. "He only had one work sheet."

"But… he gave us… we did four." Flash stammered.

Batman looked at the papers in his hands. "I guess he did all his homework for the week." He shrugged.

"Are you kidding us? We could have put him to bed hours ago!" Hawkgirl cried. She slammed the door behind her as she flew to her room. Diana, just as annoyed, followed her example. They were followed quickly by John and Barry, although those two weren't quite as vocal.

Just as Flash was exiting Robin appeared in the doorway, clad in his Batman pajamas and holding Batbear. "Why is everyone so mad?" Robin asked. He smiled happily when he saw Batman and ran to his side.

"Come on, Robin. It's time to go home." Batman said. He gathered the boy into his arms and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Ok."

Batman headed back to the teleporters but Superman followed. "Robin, why did you make us do all those worksheets?" He demanded.

The little boy looked confused. "It was my homework."

"You only had to do one tonight! The rest were for the rest of the week."

"I know."

"J'onn? Is it ready?" Batman called.

"Ready."

"Robin, you're only supposed to do one a day." Superman said.

Just as the teleporter started Robin looked up at his father. "But Batman," he whined, "you told me to do them _all_ with the league!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you found tiny-Robin as adorable as I did. If not, there will be future chapters coming soon!**

**Please review! I look forward to getting them. And, maybe you'll see your idea somewhere in another chapter!**


	4. Nightmare Stopping Bear Duo

**A/N: This is a mix from many different reviews that I have gotten. So thank you very much to everyone who reviewed! Tkaa mentioned the "Nightmare Stopping Bear Duo" and sumsujay wanted to know if Batman sleeps with Robin Bear, and then OwlheadAthena wrote "Revenge of the Teddybear" which is based on chapter 2 of my story! It was wonderful, so if you're interested, check out her story!**

**This is a slight continuation of Chapter 2.**

**Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/watched my story! I love reading your comments! I get so many ideas just from glancing over them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

><p>Bruce gave a cry in his sleep. He tossed in the bed and flipped onto his stomach. "Nnnn…" Bruce said, trying to form the word "no". He turned back onto his back. His hands were shaking. "No." He whispered the word this time. His voice was filled with grief.<p>

Dick's mouth pressed together in a tight line. He grabbed onto Bruce's hands. "It's ok, Bruce." He said softly. He shifted his weight nervously on the bed.

Bruce's hands were still shaking. Sweat was forming on his brow. His body began to jerk. "No! Don't hurt him!" Bruce cried out.

Dick bit his hand hard. Bruce had told him not to wake him, but Dick wanted to. Bruce always woke him when he had a nightmare. But Bruce had told him specifically not to wake him when he had a nightmare. Last time he had Bruce had still thought he was dreaming and had accidentally hit Dick.

"Please, don't hurt him." Bruce begged in his sleep. Tears, actual _tears_, made their way down his face. "Dick…"

"It's ok, Daddy. It's ok." Dick said softly. He squeezed Bruce's hands. "Wake up Daddy."

"Dick!" His father cried.

"Daddy! Daddy, I'm ok!"

"No!" Bruce roared. "Dick!" He sprang up in bed. He looked around, terrified. His body was trembling and his hands clenched into fists. "Dick…" He whispered. His voice was soft and desperate.

"Daddy. It's ok. I'm here." Dick whispered. He looked at his father hopefully.

Blue eyes met his and the older man shuddered. "Dickey?" He whispered hopefully. His hand traced Dick's face and slowly the worry melted.

"I'm ok, Daddy." Dick said. He climbed into his father's arms, hugging him tightly.

Bruce held the boy close, rocking him back and forth. "I thought…." Bruce trailed off. He didn't like having Dick see him so weak. But his dream had seemed so real. He'd sworn that Joker had killed his little bird.

Dick smiled up at him. "I have nightmares too."

He gave a soft hum of agreement. Bruce stroked his hair. His little bird was safe. He was here with him now. It was ok.

"You always tell me that the nightmares aren't real though." Dick continued. "So there isn't any reason to be scared, Daddy."

Bruce couldn't believe how happy the simple word _daddy_ made him. "That's right, Dick." Bruce agreed softly. "They aren't real."

"No. They're just bad dreams." Dick was quiet for a moment then. "Alfred was telling me ways to make a bad dream better." He pulled out of Bruce's arms. "Stay there! I'll be right back."

Bruce wanted to grab him back and make sure he was alright, but instead he let his son run off. A few minutes later, Dick was back. He had a bag slung over his shoulder and a tray in his hands.

"What's this?" Bruce asked.

"They make nightmares better." Dick said happily. He placed a tray in front of Bruce. "See? Cookies and milk. That's what you get me when I'm really scared."

Bruce felt himself smile. He took a small bite of the cookie. Dick joined him, taking another.

"And I brought a book because they help me sleep." Dick pulled out _The Little Red Caboose_. "I know you usually read big books, but this always makes me happy."

Bruce was smiling for real now. By the time Dick had finished reading the story they had also finished the cookies and milk. "Thank you, Dick." He said softly. His son smiled brightly back at him.

"I brought one more thing." Dick said, going back to his bag. "It _always_ helps nightmares stay away." His hands grabbed something soft and he handed it over to Bruce.

It was a Robin Bear, just like Dick's Batbear. The brown bear had on a black mask which was sewn crookedly over the bear's eyes. There was a tiny yellow utility belt at its waist. It had a cape on. And on its chest was the Robin symbol.

"Alfred helped me make it." Dick said. He pulled his own Batbear out. "They match."

Bruce stared at the bear, slowly tracing the "R" on its chest.

"Batbear helps keep my nightmares away." Dick was saying. "So maybe Robin Bear will help keep yours away too." There was another moment of silence. Dick bit his lip nervously. Why hadn't Bruce said anything? "Do… do you like him?"

"I love him." Bruce whispered. A smile spread across his face and he kissed Dick's head. "Thank you Dick."

Dick beamed.

"You're good at this." Bruce said softly. "I don't think I'm going to have anymore nightmares."

"I'm just doing what you do to help me." Dick said.

Bruce smoothed the boy's hair. "I think it's time for us to go to sleep now though."

Dick nodded. "Ok. Goodnight, Daddy." He hugged Bruce tightly. "Happy dreams!"

"Happy dreams to you too."

Dick climbed off the bed, grabbed Batbear and headed for the door. He paused in the door frame though. "Daddy?" He whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too." Bruce whispered back.

Dick was positively glowing now. He grinned widely and hurried back to his own room to cuddle up with Batbear.

Bruce watched his son's retreating form, a small smile on his face. Then his eyes went to the bear in his hands. Slowly he ran his hands over the fur. He meant to set it aside. Somehow though, he ended up curling up with the bear in his arms.

The next morning, and for many mornings later, Alfred would find his charges sleeping peacefully in their beds with their bears. The nightmare stopping bear duo had done their jobs yet again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading! It was slightly different from my earlier stories, but I hope you still enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think? Should I write more like this? Less? **

**A new chapter should be up relatively soon! **


	5. Pint Sized Batman

**A/N: This one I wrote mainly just because I really wanted to write the ending. I hope you enjoy it! I sure get a kick out of the story...**

**Once again thank you to everyone who has favorited/watched/or reviews my work! It makes me very happy to see those 50 e-mails waiting for me.**

**Please read the whole thing! I'm fairly sure there isn't another story like this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>"Ha-HA!" A small shout rang out through the hallway followed by laughter. "What's this? Joker has left some sort of poison! It'll be up to me – Batman – to fix it!"<p>

Flash frowned as he heard these noises echoing from the hall. No one used that hall but Batman. His was the only room there and he didn't use it much. Really, Robin was the only one who used it.

But right now there were oddly child like noises coming from there. As far as Flash knew Robin wasn't around. He knew Batman had been there late last night, but he was fairly sure that Robin hadn't been with him. Wasn't he at school or something?

That could only mean that there was an intruder in Batman's room. Flash gulped. He crossed his fingers and sent a silent prayer up to god that it wasn't Wally. Batman would be furious if Kid Flash had gotten into his room again.

Flash crept down the hall.

"What an odd blend of chemicals…. I will be able to fix it though! I'm Batman!" There was a pause. "I will send these to the batcave for analysis!"

Just as Flash was at the door, it opened, revealing a pint-sized Batman.

Flash just stared. The child was wearing Batman's suit, or at least most of it. He had the cowl on, but it was so big that it drooped down over his mouth. The cape trailed three feet behind him. He had on his tunic, which now reached his ankles and hung loosely around his shoulders.

The child stared at Flash a moment, his mouth open. Then quickly he crossed his arms and his face set into a defensive frown that was almost a pout.

"Batman?" Flash asked nervously.

"What?" The boy demanded. The voice was higher pitched. The child coughed and quickly the voice was replaced by a deeper one. Or at least as deep as a tiny child could produce. "What?" He repeated in his gruffer voice.

"Um… Batman… is that you?" Flash asked.

The boy was quiet for a long moment. Then, hesitantly, he nodded. "Yea. It's me." He said in a little kid voice. The boy quickly cleared his throat and in a gravely sound that Flash supposed was to make him sound older said, "Of course it's me. Idiot."

"You're… tiny."

There was a pause as the child seemed to think. "I fought Poison Ivy." He said finally. "Her newest plant turned me into this." He gestured at himself.

Flash barely heard him. He was panicking. "She turned you into a kid?" Flash gasped.

"That's what I just said."

"Oh my god! Batman!" The child was enveloped into a bone crushing hug. "Don't worry. We'll get you back to normal in no time!"

"Put me down!" The child demanded, wiggling out of his arms. He quickly straightened his cowl. "I'm already working on the ant-e-dote." He had to sound out antidote since he was little.

Flash completely missed what he said. He grabbed the boy and was running as fast as he could to the monitor womb. "Justice League, we have a problem!" He shouted.

"Unhand me!" The tiny growl came from his arms.

The original seven, plus everyone else who'd been in the room, suddenly surrounded them. "What is it Flash?" Superman demanded.

Then their eyes fell on the boy who was struggling out of Flash's embrace.

"Robin? What are you doing?" John asked.

"I'm not Robin." The boy growled as he kicked his way out of Flash's arms. He landed easily on the ground. "I'm Batman." He held out the cape as if that would prove anything.

Flash was speed-talking. "I found him like this. He said Poison Ivy did this to him. He said he's working on an antidote, but he's just a little kid now! What do we do? Should we give him to Alfred? That might upset Robin. I don't know what to do."

Pint-Sized-Batman just scowled and crossed his arms. Superman frowned. He had the Bat-scowl almost down. If his mask actually fit it might even be intimidating.

Wonder Woman knelt in front of him. "Bruce?" She asked softly.

The boy snorted. "Who else?" He asked in the same gravelly voice.

"What do we do about him?" Green Lantern asked nervously.

"You don't do anything." Batman snapped. "I can take care of myself."

"So you have all your memories?" Superman asked.

"Obviously." Batman turned around. "Excuse me." He pushed through the heroes' legs, forging a path for himself. The League just watched as the boy walked out, his cape dragging behind him.

The original six looked at each other. "He seems the same." Flash said with a shrug. "Just tinier."

"I say we give him room." Shyera said. "We can keep an eye on him though, in case he needs anything."

"I'll take first watch." Superman said. He followed after Batman. "Where are you going, chum?"

Batman's scowl deepened. "Don't call me that."

"Fine, Batman, where are you going?" Superman had to try hard not to use his 'children's' voice. Batman would hate that.

"The kitchen. I'm eight. I'm hungry."

Superman's eyes widened. "That's the same age as Robin."

"He is eight and a half." Batman informed him crisply. "Robin is older than me." This statement brought a smile to Batman's face. Superman paused. It must have been the irony since Batman didn't find much amusing.

"Should we call Alfred?"

"No. I'm working on it." Batman took off as the kitchen came in sight. He pushed past startled heroes to climb into the fridge. He pulled out an entire package of gogurt and then sat down on the floor to eat them.

"Um… Batman's condition is only temporary." Superman tried to explain.

"That's _Batman_?"

Said Batman gave a tiny growl and turned his glare on them. It would have been more intimidating if his cowl hadn't flopped forward in his face, or had he not had a gogurt in his mouth. The heroes watched in awe-struck silence as the tiny-Batman ate six packs of gogurt before shoving the rest back in the fridge and walking purposefully out of the room.

"Where are you going now?" Superman asked.

"The monitor womb."

"You don't have work scheduled for today." Superman said. Besides, he was in no condition to do work anyway.

"I can work if I want. I'm Batman!" Batman growled. But then he paused. He pulled his cowl back into place. "This doesn't fit." He grumbled in a little-kid voice.

Superman chuckled softly. "A bit big for you now, Bruce?"

The boy either ignored him or hadn't heard for he didn't respond. He tried to pull his cowl up again. "It needs fixed." He said.

"_I_ actually know how to sew." Superman said. "Ma taught me."

There was a long pause. Then Batman nodded slightly. "Fine. You'll do." He seemed hesitant as they headed back to Superman's room. Superman got out a needle and thread.

"You need me to make the cowl smaller, right?" Superman asked. "Want me to fix the rest too?"

"Fine. I want to change in the bathroom though."

Superman sighed. "I already know you're identity, Bruce."

"I don't care." The boy's voice lost its harsh tone for a second. Superman frowned, trying to place the voice. But then a large black cape was thrown in his face and the boy had stalked into the bathroom. Seconds later the shirt, tights, and cowl were thrown out the bathroom door.

"Don't use your x-ray vision!" The child called.

Superman rolled his eyes. Bruce _still_ didn't trust him with anything.

"Your secret is safe with me." Superman muttered.

When he'd finished sewing everything up an hour later he was told to leave it there and turn around. Superman did as he was told, with a small smile. Batman was probably just self conscious. Superman found it cute, though he'd never tell Bruce that. Bruce hated cute. Unless it was Robin of course.

What was even more adorable is when the tiny-batman came out. The cowl fit him much better, though the stitches were uneven through the top. The cape had been cut so it was shorter for him. His top had been taken apart and resewn. It looked pretty good, even if the edges were still lopsided. At least they fit.

All and all, the look was endearing. He looked a lot like Robin, just in a Bat Costume.

Superman smiled at the boy. "Ok, chum. Now what?"

"I'm not a baby." Batman said, crossing his arms.

"Sorry."

"I'm gona' work." Batman said. Even though he was using his "batman" voice, he still sounded like a little child. Batman was oddly adorable in this state. Superman couldn't help but smile.

Tiny-Batman sat in front of the computer in the monitor womb. Superman had to get three books for him to sit on top of so he could reach. Then he just sat there, going through files. Superman was sure Batman had a reason for doing so, but to him it just seemed random. One moment he'd be looking at a file about Joker. The next he'd be looking at one about a beach, then one about a food. He was clicking through them rather fast too.

Superman smiled suddenly. Bruce might be pretending to be the same, but he _was_ just eight. He had a short attention span like any other child right now.

"Batman, how about we go do something else?" Superman suggested.

"Like what?" Whenever Batman was caught off guard he'd talk in a child-like voice. Superman found it amusing how like Robin he sounded then. Not that he'd tell Batman that.

"Maybe we could go eat and then play a game?"

Batman thought for a moment and then agreed. He jumped off his pile of books and trotted towards the kitchen.

Batman was too short to reach the food. Superman offered to pick him up but Batman blatantly refused that. "Batman doesn't need help." He'd snapped.

"I'll just get your usual meal then?" Superman asked. He'd started picking out the healthy foods that Batman usually preferred, but the boy made a face.

"That's disgusting." He said. "I want that." He pointed to the pizza.

"I thought you swore off pizza or any other junk food."

"Batman can eat what he wants."

Superman rolled his eyes. The kid kept talking about himself in third person. Maybe he was just trying to prove a point. That or else it was just because he was eight. Didn't kids do that sometimes?

Superman got the pizza, three cookies, fruit punch, and fries that Batman had asked for. He watched in awe as Batman gobbled them all up then promptly demanded even more sweets.

He'd never expected to see a hyper Batman in all his life. It was possibly the scariest and most adorable thing. Batman was practically jumping in his seat by the time Superman finished eating.

"Let's play a game!" The boy demanded, forgetting to use his gravely-voice. Batman looked around the cafeteria and spotting Flash he ran over to him. "We're playing a game." He said. "Play."

Flash just raised an eyebrow. "Batman wants to play a game?" he asked Superman.

"He's eight." Superman shrugged.

"Ok. What game?"

Batman thought. "Tag." He said. Before they could respond he'd already ran off and tagged Aquaman. "You're it!" He shouted before darting out of the room.

Aquaman stared after the small figure. "What just happened? And why is Robin dressed like Batman?"

"It isn't Robin. That was Batman. He was turned into a little kid." Flash explained. "We're playing a game and I guess you're playing now too."

"Alright." Aquaman agreed. Then the three heroes had gone in search of the little boy.

"Are we playing tag?" Wonder Woman asked as they stepped outside. "Batman just tagged me and ran off."

Flash raised a brow. "I guess he doesn't remember the rules."

By the time they'd gotten to the monitor womb they'd met twelve other very confused superheroes who all wanted to know why they'd been 'tagged'.

"Doesn't Batman know how to play tag?" Flash complained. "He tags everyone he sees!"

"That's the same way Robin plays." Superman said. "I guess we know who taught him."

Green Lantern nodded. "When Robin plays, what do we do to 'win'?"  
>"Robin hides and we have to find him, so Batman probably is hiding from us now too."<p>

It took two hours of searching before they found Batman hiding in an airduct. Apparently he thought that Tag meant you tagged everyone you could and then hid. If that was his version, he was really good at it. Nearly every superhero had been 'tagged' by Batman.

After proclaiming Batman the winner it was Green Lantern and Wonder Woman's turn to watch him. Batman had had enough of acting like a child and insisted that he read instead. He'd grabbed the biggest book off the shelf of the library. It'd been too heavy for his tiny arms so Green Lantern had to carry it for him. Then he'd sat there, reading The Complete Works of Shakespeare.

"He reads fast." Wonder Woman said as Batman flipped the page yet again.

"I don't think he's reading." Lantern whispered back. "He's just pretending."

Batman flipped another page, barely glancing at it before he flipped again. Lantern grinned. The kid was trying very hard to act grown up.

Within half an hour Batman had finished the book. "All done." Batman proclaimed as he shoved the book off his lap.

"You read that quickly." Wonder Woman said with a smile.

Batman just scowled at her. "I've already read it five times." He said. He swept out of the room before they could do anything else.

For the rest of the day Batman continued to try to act like he usually did. However, because he was only eight, the normal tasks changed a bit.

He tried to monitor, like Batman usually would, but that backfired because he couldn't focus that long. He tried to work in the lab but after the first explosion they'd kicked him out. He'd tried hiding in corners and jumping out to scare people. It worked, but usually afterwards they'd coo over how adorable he was. He even tried doing the bat-glare, but as an eight year old, it was hard to be intimidating.

He'd sent a memo around after he'd learned to use the copying machine. It had been written in green crayon and gave the rules of the watch tower. No running, no jumping, no screaming, no kicking, no being mean, no stealing, and no singing. Then he'd written that these didn't apply to him. He'd taped this to every door in the building.

Then he'd added a second sign that said "don't touch Batman's stuff". He'd then proceeded to label everything that was his. His crayon colored signs hung all over the watch tower now. "This is Batman's Chair. Do not touch." "This is Batman's Room. Don't you dare enter." "This is Batman's Food." "This is Batman's couch" "This is Batman's" The signs were everywhere but no one had the heart- or the nerve- to take them down.

The original six watched Batman as he swung his legs from his "This is Batman's Chair" seat.

"What do we do?" Wonder Woman asked. "It's almost nine. Shouldn't he go to bed?"

"We should send him back to Alfred." Superman said.

"He told me he didn't want Robin to know." J'onn said. "I think he's embarrassed."

"Shouldn't we do something about him?" Hawkgirl asked. "He said he was working on the antidote, but after what happened in the lab, maybe we should try."

They watched in silence for a moment. Batman was spinning around in his seat.

"Do you think he realizes how alike he and Robin are?" Wonder Woman asked suddenly.

They'd all noticed it. Batman had been acting like Robin whenever he let his guard down. He played the same way, talked the same way, he even sounded the same. Maybe that was the reason he'd adopted the boy in the first place.

Suddenly Superman felt a yank on his cape. "Are we having the meeting?" The boy said.

Superman frowned. "What meeting?"

The boy held out a sheet of paper- a memo for a meeting with the original seven. They happened every week.

"Oh… we weren't going to with your… condition." Green Lantern said.

Batman frowned at that. "We're having the meeting." He announced.

Flash shrugged. They might as well humor the boy. So they walked to the meeting room. It wasn't supposed to start until nine thirty, but Batman wanted to start _now_ so they did.

Superman went through his plans about Lex Luthor. J'onn explained how some new technology was working. Flash gave a ten minute speech about how they needed to get more food in the watchtower. Batman sat there very seriously the whole time, or as serious as an eight year old could be.

"Ok, so the next order of business is-"

"You started without me."

The league gave a cry as a deep voice rumbled from the doorway. They spun around and their mouth's hung open.

Batman stood there.

Batman.

_Batman_.

The _real_ Batman. The six foot-something, terrifying, angry, Dark Knight of Gotham.

They looked quickly to the tiny Batman who sat at the table.

What the heck was going on?  
>The older Batman's eyes trailed to the little Batman and his frown deepened. "Richard, what are you doing?" He demanded.<p>

Suddenly the Justice League felt very _very_ stupid.

"I'm not Richard! I'm Batman!" The child insisted. He was grinning from ear to ear though.

"Of course, Batman." Bruce rolled his eyes and walked over to the boy. He pulled the cowl off, revealing none other than Robin.

The League sunk into their chairs.

"Now, what were you doing?" Bruce asked again.

Robin was smiling. "I was being you." He said happily. He held up his cape. "See?"

"Right. Very convincing."

Robin frowned at the lack of excitement in Batman's voice. He pointed at the League. "_They_ believed me!" He accused.

Batman's gaze fell on the League who had turned bright red from embarrassment. For once, Batman actually looked shocked. He looked from the guilty members back to his son and back again. "You mean to tell me," he said slowly, "that Richard convinced you that he was _me_?"

"Well… yea…" Superman offered weakly.

"He said it was Poison Ivy." Flash squeaked out.

"We thought… you know… you'd been de-aged." John said.

Batman shook his head in disbelief. Robin giggled. "See?" He insisted. "I told you I made a good Batman!"  
>"He had your scowl down!" Flash exclaimed, suddenly needing to defend himself. "And he did a very good impression."<p>

"I'm Batman." The boy said in his fake gravelly voice. Batman stared at him blankly.

Then, of all things, he began to laugh.

"Oh no. He's gone mad." Flash hissed, clutching Hawkgirl's arm. Usually she would have brushed him away, but she was just as scared. If Batman was laughing that was never good.

The League looked terrified.

Batman was holding his sides as he laughed. "I can't believe-" he gasped. "That you thought-" gasp, "that Robin was me!" He laughed again.

Robin pouted. "I thought I did good." He muttered.

This only made Batman laugh harder. He pulled the boy into his arms, ruffling his hair. "You did _very_ good Robin." Batman agreed. He glanced at the league and a deep chuckle burst from him. He shook his head. "I just… I can't believe you believed him."

Still laughing, Batman left the stunned League to walk back to his plane, holding Robin the whole time.

"Hi!" Robin waved as they passed more heroes in the halls. Most had fled upon hearing Batman's laughter. Those who stayed were rooted to the spot. An older Batman was chuckling while holding a tiny Batman in his arms.

It was too much.

"They thought I was you too." Robin said. "_Everyone_ believed me."

Batman shook his head. His laughter had stopped but he was grinning. "Wait until I tell Alfred about this."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I swear that half of my stories are written just because I have a good line for the ending... Or in this case an idea that I found very amusing. **

**Once again, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave me a review. Thank you!**


	6. Daddy

**A/N: Here is another chapter! This is a shorter one, but I felt like it needed to be posted. Thanks again to everyone for the reviews, favorites, and watches! I appriciate them greatly. And because of the reviews I have many more chapters in the works!**

**This is set when Dick first becomes Robin. It is set before the other stories I've posted. Just a short sweet moment from when Dick first calls Bruce "Daddy". **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>Bruce was coming home late. Or rather, Batman was coming home late. It had been one heck of a night. It had started out simple, just the bank robberies and thefts. Then three villains decided to commit crimes all at the same times. Scarecrow was first. He and Robin had found him last night, but after Robin had been doused with the fear gas Batman had been forced to abandon the chase. Tonight Batman hadn't shown any mercy and had locked the man up as soon as he could.<p>

The next villain to show was Harley and not long after, Joker. It had been a tough time to get them both back in prison. There had been hostages, bombs, and laughing gas all at once.

Batman was just glad Robin hadn't been with him.

Bruce pushed the clock aside and came into the manor. He was exhausted. In fact, he was so tired that he barely missed trampling the small figure that sat in front of the clock.

"Richard? What are you doing up? You were supposed to be in bed hours ago." Bruce knelt in front of the tiny boy. He looked even smaller than usual right now.

Dick was staring at him with wide eyes and clutching his stuffed elephant close. "I wanted to wait up for you." He whispered.

Bruce was pretty sure that he was supposed to scold the boy, but instead he pulled the boy into his arms. "Well, I'm home now. So let's put you to bed."

"Are you hurt?" Dick asked softly. He wrapped his arms around Bruce's neck.

"Nothing too bad." Bruce lied. He had more bruises and cuts than he'd liked. He was pretty sure two or three needed stitches, but he didn't want to wake Alfred.

Dick cuddled into his shoulder. "Good. I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

Dick said nothing.

"What were you scared of Dick?" Bruce tried again.

Again Dick was silent. Then, hesitantly, he said, "Nothing."

"You're lying."

"You'll think I'm silly." He whispered.

Bruce stopped right outside Richard's door. He pushed it open and placed Dick on the bed, kneeling so they were at eyelevel. "If you're scared, Richard, I want to know why. It isn't silly to be scared."

"You don't get scared!" Dick blurted out. "Batman is never scared."

A soft, sad smile spread of Bruce's face. "That's not true."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't." Seeing that he'd have to elaborate, Bruce continued. "I get scared all the time. Yesterday when Scarecrow sprayed you with the fear gas… that scared me."

Dick frowned slightly and pulled his elephant closer. "But you're Batman."

"Even Batman gets scared." Bruce said gently. Ever since Dick had come along Batman was scared more than usual. He knew the boy could handle himself, but that didn't stop him for worrying all the time.

Dick sniffed. "Does Batman have nightmares too?" Dick whispered. His voice caught on the word nightmares.

"Batman does." Bruce said softly. He sat on the bed now and Dick buried himself into Bruce's chest. Suddenly Bruce knew why the boy had insisted on staying up. "What was your nightmare about?"

"You… you _died_." Dick stared up at him with big watery eyes. "You died and left me all alone."

"It's ok, Dickey." Bruce murmured. "I'm here. I'm fine."

The boy whimpered. "But you died." He whispered. "You left me all alone and then the orphanage took me back. And they said you died because I wasn't good enough!"

"Richard," Bruce pulled the boy into his lap, hugging him tight. "Richard, that isn't true. You are better than good."

Dick sniffed loudly. "Yesterday I got sprayed with the fear gas though. You didn't catch Scarecrow because of me."

"I caught him tonight."

Dick gave a wail. "See? You're better when I'm not there!"

"That's not true." Bruce said firmly. He pulled the boy's chin up. "Dick, look at me. You are an excellent Robin. You've helped me tons of times. You've even saved my life!" The boy just sobbed. "But you are still learning." Bruce continued. "It's ok to make mistakes. I made them when I first started too. That's why you have me though. I'll protect you."

Dick gave a small smile. "And…and you won't leave me?"

Bruce shook his head. "I will never leave you, Dickey."

Dick nodded and curled up close to him. "Good." He murmured.

For a long while, Bruce just sat there, gently rocking the boy to sleep.

"Bruce?" a soft voice mumbled sleepily.

"Yes?"

"I just… wana…be like you." The boy said softly.

"You don't have to be like me Dick. You're already better than me."

The words were lost though, because the boy's eyes had closed and he seemed to be asleep. Bruce slowly stroked Dick's hair, smiling down at the sleeping child. Finally he laid the boy in bed. He kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight." He whispered. He paused a moment then added, "I love you."

He started to move away when there was a soft sigh from the bed. "I love you too, Daddy."

Bruce's heart leapt into his throat.

_Daddy_.

He hardly dared move for fear of making the words vanish. There was no more sound from the child though, so slowly he backed up, closing the door behind him.

He'd only gotten a few steps before the butler was there. He'd been so sure he was asleep. "Now that Master Richard is in bed, we should see to your wounds, Mater Bruce." The man said with a small smile.

Bruce just nodded. The large grin was still present on his face. His hands went to his cheeks. He hadn't even realized he was smiling.

Alfred's brow furrowed. "Is there a need for me to fetch the antidote for Joker's laughing gas?" He asked slowly.

Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "No…. It's alright Alfred."

"Then what has you smiling so?" Alfred asked. "Not that I mind."

His eyes trailed to Dick's door. "He called me Daddy."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed the fluff! Please review. **

**Thank you for reading!**

**Next chapter will be when Dick first meets Wally!**


	7. KF

**A/N: Its taken awhile for me to update. In order to remedy that have some cute-Robin! I'm also hoping to post at least one more story this weekend, so hopefully that will make up for taking so long to upload this.**

**Now, I don't know how accurate this is. So if anything seems out of place, feel free to tell me. This is my take on how Kid Flash and Robin first met. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>Robin giggled as he slipped just a <em>bit<em> farther away from Batman. Batman didn't notice. He was engrossed in whatever papers he and Commissioner Gordon were talking about. The eight year old took another step away which was again missed by his mentor. Seeing that Batman wasn't paying attention the child ran to the edge of the roof. Batman still didn't like him doing that. Even though he'd been trained to jump off buildings and use his grappling hook, that didn't mean his father didn't get frightened by the idea of it.

Robin grinned widely as he stepped onto the edge. He felt the breeze in his hair better now. He could see for _miles_. It was like in the Lion King. _All the light touches is yours_ and all that… only right now it was all the darkness was his. His and Batman's to protect.

The boy giggled again as he watched the streets below.

Suddenly a bright flash of yellow and red flew through the streets. Robin gave a cry. The next instant the thing was gone.

Batman spun around when he heard Robin. "What is it?" Batman demanded.

"Something just ran by! Or… I guess it ran… it was a blur." Robin said. He pointed to the street below. "It was going really fast. I didn't see it. But it was red and yellow."

A frown creased Batman's cowl. He nodded to the Commissioner and jumped off the building into his waiting batmobile. Robin jumped down behind him, landing in the passenger seat.

"Which way?" Batman demanded.

Robin pointed and the car sped off. It took three blocks driving a full speed before they finally found the blur Robin had spotted. It had left a small trail of scattered debris when it had run through the last alley way. Batman scowled and tried to make the car go faster.

As they rounded the next corner he caught his first sight of the blur. It was indeed red and yellow, as Robin had said. It was thin and small, but moving at an unfeasible pace. It was impossible to tell what it was.

The blur was still moving and Batman went after it. The thing made a left, a right, then two more lefts.

"It's leaving the city." Batman said. He was glad about that. He didn't want whatever it was to do damage. But what _was_ the thing and what was it doing in _his_ city?

They followed the blur all the way to the old garbage dump, just outside of the Gotham. The dump had been abandoned years ago. Maybe it was a hideout for the blur?

"Should we split up?" Robin asked.

"No." Batman ordered. They got out of the car and slowly made their way in. Batman wasn't sure what type of tactics he should use. He didn't know what the thing was in the first place. It was moving as fast as Flash though, if not faster.

They moved silently through the dump. They didn't see or hear anything for the longest time. Then they came upon a small makeshift lean-to. There were tons of boxes around it. Two men in ratty clothes were sitting with guns under the 'building'. There were eight more guys as well, all dressed in armor and street clothing, holding guns as well. There were boxes surrounding them.

Batman's hand clenched over Robin's shoulder. Drug dealers. He hadn't even known about this operation. Maybe it had just started. By the number of boxes it was a new shipment.

"Stay here." Batman ordered. He'd deal with this. The blur might be connected, but if not, this needed stopping as well.

"But-" Before he could get his words out Batman had jumped down and bullets shot off. Robin ducked low. He hated bullets.

There was a soft sob nearby. Robin shot up. Who was that? They sounded scared. Robin glanced over his shoulder. Batman had told him to stay put… but he should help that person if they were in trouble.

The boy trotted off. He'd be back soon!

"Hello?" He called softly.

There was no response but he could still hear the sobs. He moved a bit further, following the sound. It wasn't a few more steps until he noticed the source of the sound.

There was a large dent and a whole pile of wreckage. Huddled in a ball in the middle of the debris was a boy. The kid couldn't have been much older than him. He had a mop of messy red hair and was wearing a red and yellow costume. The boy was curled into a ball, sobbing, and rocking back and forth. No! He wasn't rocking, he was _vibrating_.

Robin slowly stepped closer. "Hello?" He called tentatively.

A head shot up. Large scared eyes stared at him. "P-please d-don't hurt m-me." The boy stuttered. He was starting to blur as he vibrated in fear.

Robin held up his hands and stepped out from behind his hiding spot so the boy could see him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a good guy." He said. The boy was staring at him with the same fear. "I'm Robin." He added. "I work with Batman."

This finally seemed to register with the other kid, for he stopped moving so fast. He was still vibrating, but his body wasn't shifting into the blur. "Batman…" The kid whispered. "I know him… he's a good guy…"

"That's right." Robin said softly. He crept a bit closer. "Are you ok?"

"N-no…" The boy sniffed. He shifted from his fetal position and Robin gasped .The boy was covered in bruises and cuts. His body was shaking furiously and he was pale white. "I…I couldn't stop." He whispered. "I kept running into stuff. And it hurts."

Robin ran to his side. "Let me help." He said. He didn't give the boy a chance to reply because he was already pulling the bandages out of his utility belt. He covered the scrapes as best he could.

What did Batman do when people were hurt? Or Alfred? They tried to clam them down. They asked questions and were nice.

Robin looked at the boy. He paused a moment. "That's the Flash's symbol." He said, pointing to the boy's chest. Then he quickly went back to work. The boy was bleeding a whole lot.

"Y-yea… he's my mentor." The boy whispered. "I'm Kid Flash."

"Kid Flash?" Robin grinned. "It's nice to meet you, KF."

The boy gave a small smile. "My uncle knows you." he said. "He talks about you a lot."

"I haven't heard about you yet." Robin said.

"Yea… he wanted to work with me on my powers first." Kid Flash shivered violently and Robin froze. When he was sure the boy was ok he kept bandaging him up. "I still am not the best."

"That's ok. I wasn't good when I started." Robin added. Of course, he'd only been at it for a couple months now, but Kid Flash didn't need to know that. He gave a small smile. "How old are you?"

"I just turned eleven."

"I'm eight." Robin said.

Kid Flash shivered again. This time Robin stopped bandaging him completely. "What's the matter?" He asked softly.

"I…I'm scared." The boy whispered.

They heard more gun shots going off. This time Kid Flash screamed. He grabbed Robin's arm and then the two were running, Robin clinging to the boy's back.

"Stop!" Robin shouted as they ran farther and farther away. "KF stop!"

"I can't!" The boy cried.

Robin held on tighter. He couldn't breathe. This was terrifying! When Flash took him around the Watch Tower it was different. Then he was safe. This wasn't safe at all.

"Please stop." Robin begged, he was close to tears now. They were moving away from Batman. How would he find them? He'd be so angry! Or what if he needed help? Now Robin couldn't help him!

Kid Flash heard the boy's sobs. Despite his own fear it was the sound of someone else's sobs that worried him. He _had_ to stop. He had to stop because Robin was scared. He tried really, really, hard and finally _finally_ was able to dig his heels into the ground and lock his knees.

They skidded a ways before they came to a halt.

Robin lay at his side, gasping for breath and shaking. Kid Flash himself was trembling. His arms were vibrating back and forth. He'd stopped but his body still wanted to keep moving. He wasn't used to his powers yet. He just wanted Uncle Barry! He'd know what to do.

The younger of the two boys pushed himself off the ground. "Are you ok?" He asked. His own knee was bleeding and his arm hurt really badly.

"Y-y-yea…"

When the boy looked up his eyes were wide with fright. This time Robin didn't think. He threw his arms around the older boy, hugging him. "Just sit." He said softly. "Batman will be here soon. Batman knows what to do. He always does."

"Can- can he get Flash?"

"He can." Robin promised. He hugged the older boy tighter. He could feel him vibrating in his arms. The boy was terrified of his powers. Robin didn't like when people were scared. All he wanted to do was make the boy feel better. When Robin was hurt, Batman tried to keep his mind off of it by talking about other things to make him happier. "What's your favorite color?" Robin demanded.

"What?"

"Your favorite color? Mines blue."

"Red."

"Favorite food?"

This made the other boy smile. "Anything!" He exclaimed. "I love food."

"Batman will be here soon." Robin said. "And when he comes he'll take us back home and then you can have some of the best cookies ever."

"Batman cooks?"

Robin laughed. "No, silly. Alfred cooks."

The talk of food was calming the other boy. He grinned at the tinier one. "I don't know. Aunt Iris cooks nice cookies."

"They not as good as Alfred's. Alfred is the best cook in the world." Robin said seriously.

"Do I really get to go to the Batcave?"

Robin nodded even thought he didn't know for sure. But if the kid was hurt Batman would take him back, right? "Even if you don't, I'll bring you some of Alfred's cookies." He promised.

"Really?" The boy asked.

Robin nodded. "Yea. I can come visit you."

"I think… I think we'd be good friends." Kid Flash offered shyly.

Robin grinned. "We already are!"

This made Kid Flash laugh. "My name's Wally." He said.

"I'm not allowed to tell. Batman doesn't like me to." Robin said. He hugged Wally tighter though and lay his head on the older boy's shoulder. The kid had finally stopped vibrating. When Wally's arms wrapped back around him in the hug though the older boy's arms were tense. Robin was the only thing keeping him from running again. He could feel his powers begging to run. But there was this kid holding onto him and hugging him and talking. That kept Wally from moving.

Suddenly where was a loud noise from Robin's belt. Robin pulled it out with one hand. "Hi Batman." He said.

"Where are you?" It was a shout and Robin held the device away from his ear, making a face. Kid Flash laughed. "I told you not to go!"

"I had to." Robin said. "Someone was hurt."

"Where are you?" Batman repeated.

"I don't know. Kid Flash ran off. We're not in the dump though. I think we're in the grassy area behind it."

"Kid Flash?"

"Yea. He's the Flash's partner. He's hurt, Batman."

There was a pause on the other end. "Kid Flash, can you hear me?" Batman's voice asked finally.

"Yes." Kid Flash said softly.

"I need you to stay right there with Robin. I'm getting the car and I'll trace you, but you _have to stay still_."

Kid Flash gulped. "I…I'll try."

"Good. Robin, I'll be there." And the link died.

Robin put away the communicator and smiled at Kid Flash. "Batman's going to be here soon." He promised. "Then he can help you. And he'll call Flash."

"And then we'll get cookies." Wally added with a small, nervous, smile.

Robin nodded and hugged the older boy tighter. "And then we'll get cookies." He agreed.

"Is he really scary?" Wally asked. "Uncle Barry says he's scary."

"He can be. But he's also really nice. He tells me bedtime stories."

"Uncle Barry reads me his comic books." Wally whispered. "I always like them."

"I have Superman ones at my house." Robin offered. "You can come over and read them with me."

Kid Flash shot him a smile. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Robin giggled. "We're friends, KF."

The two sat in a happy silence until Batman appeared five minutes later. He took in the sight before lifting both children into his arms.

Instantly Kid Flash relaxed. Something felt safe about him…. He knew Uncle Barry would be finding him soon. And having Robin hugging him and being held in Batman's arms…well, he didn't even feel like running right now.

Batman placed them in the car and drove as fast as he could to the Batcave. Usually he would have been demanding answers, but he was silent. He watched as his son clung to the other child and spoke happily with him. No matter what, Dick was always the happy child. Batman smiled softly to himself, proud.

"Sir, your back early tonight." Alfred exclaimed as the car pulled in. There was worry in his eyes.

"We have a guest." Batman said. That's all he managed to say before Robin and KF came tumbling out of the car. The two kids giggled with mirth as they fell to the floor. "He needs some medical attention."

"No he doesn't!" Robin called as he led the other boy over. "He needs cookies."

"Cookies?" Alfred looked at the two kids.

"This is Kid Flash." Robin said, pointing to his new friend. "He eats a lot."

"Ah… just like the Flash." Alfred looked over the boy. "Master Batman, if you will attend to his injuries, I can see that he gets his food."

Batman nodded. He put the child on the medical table and began to patch him up.

"You heal quickly!" Robin exclaimed. Some of his cuts had already healed up and most of the bruises were gone. "I wish I could do that." He climbed up onto the medical table beside his friend.

"This is neat." Kid Flash said, glancing around the room. "Is that a dinosaur?"

"Yea." Robin grinned. "That's a giant penny too."

Once Batman treated both of the children he went to call Flash.

"I hear you're missing a small child?" He asked with slight humor as Flash answered his communicator.

"You found him?" Flash breathed in relief.

"Yes. He's in the cave."

Not a few moments later Flash had appeared. "Wally!" The redhead was crushed against the familiar chest. "Wally! I was so scared! I was searching all over to find you!"

"I ended up here." Wally said. He hugged his uncle back tightly. "Robin found me and helped me though."

"Thank you!" Barry crushed Wally once more before giving Robin the same treatment. He ran over to hug bats but stopped short. Instead he just grinned shyly. "Thanks."

"Let's talk." Batman said. He was obviously upset that he hadn't known about a Kid Flash. The two men walked off, leaving the kids to chat.

"I've brought the requested cookies." Alfred said as he put a large plate down. He had more in the oven. He knew just how hungry speedesters were.

Wally's eyes widened at the smell. Slowly he picked one up. Robin grabbed one and shoved it in his mouth. "Thank you Alfred!" He chimed happily.

Hesitantly Wally took a bite. He gasped. This was _definitely_ the best cookie he'd ever had!

"See? I told you Alfred was the best cook in the world." Robin said proudly.

In seconds the cookies were gone as Wally gobbled them up. "They are amazing!" He exclaimed.

The butler just chuckled. "You ate those faster than Master Barry. I suppose I'll go get more." He disappeared upstairs with a smile on his face. If it wasn't just his imagination, he could have sworn that Master Richard was making a friend.

Two plates of cookies later the grownups had finished talking. "Alright, buddy. Time to go home." Barry said as he walked over to the two.

Robin and Kid Flash groaned simultaneously. "Why?" They both whined, dragging out the word.

Batman shot Robin a look and he quickly stopped his whine.

"It's bedtime." Batman said firmly.

Robin pouted. "Can Wally come over again?" He asked.

He and Wally looked up at their mentor's hopefully. Batman sighed. "Yes." He agreed. He instantly regretted saying it. But only for a moment, because then he saw the look of happiness on his son's face. Maybe Alfred was right. Maybe the kid _did_ need a friend besides him and Batbear.

"Thank you!" Robin and Kid Flash exclaimed. The two boys hugged each other and waved goodbye. This time Flash was carrying Kid Flash, just to make sure he didn't lose control again. Soon the speedsters had gone.

Robin leaped off the table and started doing cartwheels around the room. "I made a new friend!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Batman nodded. He couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face though. A speedster for a friend wouldn't have been his first choice, but if it made Dick happy….

The boy ran upstairs, shouting to Alfred about the upcoming play date. Then he was back downstairs, his arms wrapping around Bruce's leg. "Thank you Daddy!" The boy exclaimed.

Batman grinned. No. Having another friend wasn't bad at all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed the story! All Reviews are greatly appriciated.**

**I'm working on lots of new ones for next time. I may have a poll next time to vote on what story you want to see next. **

**Thank you for reading.**


	8. Broken Wings

**A/N: I decided to try something a little different this time.**

**First it is a bit different from the style of my previous chapters... a little more serious. I'm going for tears, just to warn you. **

**Second, this is written in Robin's POV.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything.**

* * *

><p>I wrinkled my nose up at the smell. Why would anyone voluntarily stay here? I didn't want to be here any longer than I had to. I glanced up at Batman but he didn't seem to be unnerved by the smell. I straightened my spine. Well if Batman wasn't affected then Robin wouldn't be either.<p>

"Do you see them?" I asked. Batman had the binoculars up and was peering through one of the windows. We were two rooftops away from our target- an old abandoned factory near the docks. It smelled like burning rubber and rotten fish here.

Batman gave a nod to my question. "There are eight." He said. I knew what that meant. I _meant_ that we should each take four, but most likely that I would get two and he would take the rest. Batman was still protective of me even though I knew I could handle myself easily.

"Why did they choose this place?" I asked. I tried to peer over Batman's shoulder. I couldn't see in the building without the binoculars though, which Batman still hadn't stopped looking through.

"They're hiding. Thugs seem to think abandoned warehouses are the best place to hide."

I frowned. "But if they always choose the same building it isn't a very good hiding spot."

"There are lots of buildings like it. They choose one of them, not the same one."

"Wouldn't it be smarter to hide in plain sight?"

Batman smiled slightly. "Sometimes it is." He agreed. He looked at me finally with the same tiny smile. "It's a good thing our crooks aren't as smart as you, Robin."

I grinned. "Why are they hiding though?"

"Remember that body we saw when we met with the commissioner?" I nodded. "They killed him. I'm not sure why. He was clean. It was probably some sort of warning."

"Do you know who did it?"

"I believe so." I waited. Sometimes Batman took forever to answer my questions. Other times he answered more in depth then I cared for. Like when I asked why I needed to eat my carrots I didn't need a lecture about their every calorie and vitamin. He was usually much quieter on missions though.

"I think it's a man named Aaron." Batman said finally. "I haven't seen the leader though. They may be waiting to meet up with him."

I nodded and waited for his next signal. He sat there, probably waiting for the boss to show. My legs were getting cramped. I sat down, stretching mildly. Whenever we waited it was so boring.

Finally Batman stood. "We're going to get a closer look, see if we can hear anything."

"Ok!" I agreed readily and swung after him.

We landed silently on the ledge and Batman opened up a skyline. We snuck in. Below were the eight thugs. Two were playing a card game. Two more were listening to a tiny radio. The others were walking around. All of them had guns.

I gulped. It wasn't that I was afraid of them. I knew that Batman and I could take them down easily. I didn't like guns though. Three nights ago Batman had been shot in the leg. Alfred had to dig the bullet out. It was disgusting and I hoped I never had to go through that.

"When do you think he'll get here?" One of the thugs playing cards asked.

"He'll be here." The other said. "That's what the boss said."

Another man snorted. "Which boss?"

"The creepy one."

This made another laugh. "Great description."

The man playing cards wacked his companion in the head. "They're both creepy idiot."

I could see Batman's frown deepening. There was more than one boss, which Batman hadn't been planning on. He didn't like that.

"I don't like this." One of the thugs was complaining. "We're sitting ducks here." He was looking around nervously and fiddling with his gun. "If the Bat comes crashing in-"

"Be quiet." Another hissed.

"But-"

"Sit back down." One of the thugs ordered tersely. He and three others had their guns pointed at the man. The thug hesitated then sat back down.

Batman glanced from the thugs to me. "Stay here." He ordered.

"But I want to help you." I said. I didn't want him to go into the mess alone.

"Until I know what exactly is going on here, I want you to stay here." He repeated. "I will call you if it's ok for you to join."

I bit my lip. I didn't like the plan. "Ok." I agreed, because I really didn't have a choice. If I didn't agree he'd take me back to the manor and leave me there. By the time he got back the thugs might have left. I knew he would too. He'd done it once before.

Batman took my shoulder and pushed me onto the floor so I sat. "Stay." He repeated, glancing firmly into my eyes.

Then he swung down. The shots of ammo rang out. I heard shouts from the men and grunts. I closed my eyes tight. I didn't like thinking of Batman being there all by himself. I knew he was smart and strong and that he'd be fine. But I didn't like it anyway.

I heard more shouts and more guns going off. Suddenly there was a large high pitched cackle. My eyes shot open. There was only one person who could do such a creepy laugh: the Joker. If Batman had known Joker was here he never would have let me go with him.

"Very nice Batsy!" The Joker said and I heard him clapping his hands.

There were more thuds and I assumed Batman was taking down the last of the thugs.

"I was hoping we'd catch your attention." Joker sighed dramatically. "I was so hoping though that you'd have brought the brat."

I snuck out from behind my hiding spot just enough that I could see what was going on. I'd never seen Batman fight the Joker before. The man I saw looked just like Batman's photos. A white face, green hair, a mouth stretched into an impossible grin, the same purple suit…

"It's over Joker." Batman hissed.

"Actually, it isn't, because I brought a friend." Batman froze. In the silence I heard a gun click into place. My heart stopped as another villain came out of the shadows, two guns pointed at Batman's head.

"Two Face here was so kind as to be my partner today." Joker said with a laugh. "We thought you'd bring the brat so we'd have a matched set. Seems it didn't work out that way."

"Why did you kill him?" Batman asked. He seemed unfazed by the gun pointing at the back of his head.

"That man? I needed to get your attention _somehow_." Joker laughed. I heard another click as Joker pulled a gun out of his own. "Harvey and I thought it was about time you died." Joker's grin grew and he looked at the man with half a face. "What do you think? Shot by two bullets at two different points? That should fit your ways, right Two Face?"

"Very fitting." The man agreed.

I tensed. Joker was still talking. I couldn't see it but I knew Batman had to be planning _something_. He could stop two guns… couldn't he? But, there were three. Two Face had two guns. Which one would he shoot?

I swallowed hard. Batman was probably doing everything he could not to call for me. I should help him! He should call for me!

I knew he wouldn't though.

So I did what I thought was right.

I jumped from the ledge, calling his name. Two Face spun to face me. He held his guns up, shooting away. Batman took the moment to tackle Joker to the ground. I heard a shot go off from Joker's gun and a grunt.

No time to look.

I landed on Two Face's shoulders. My momentum brought him to the ground. I yanked a gun from his hand and threw it aside.

He was stronger than I would have thought. He flung me aside easily. I bounced back and glanced to the side. Batman was fighting with the Joker. He seemed ok, which meant I could focus on Two Face.

I ran towards him, springing up to kick him. I landed in a handstand and sprang back to kick him in the head again.

Two Face gave a sort of chuckle. "You're just a boy." He said softly.

"So?" I demanded. I'd heard that tons of times. It was getting annoying.

"So that means you're a pair- Batman and the boy."

I ran at him again but this time he swung his arm. It caught me and I flew off to the side. I barely had time to catch myself. "That means," Two Face laughed, "it's my style."

The next instant he'd grabbed me, throwing me into the wall. I gave a cry. Before I could do anything he'd pulled out a gun and held it and aimed at me. I knew I should move. I knew I should get up and do something. But I froze.

"Robin!"

I gave a cry of pain as a bullet lodged itself in my right leg. Before I could even blink a second bullet at lodged into my left. I screamed.

"Ohhh, Batsy, you seemed to have forgotten your little bird!" Joker teased.

"Robin!" I heard Batman cry.

I tried to stand but pain seared through my body and I collapsed. I saw blood oozing from my legs. It must have hit something. I swallowed my fear and tried to grab something from my utility belt. I grabbed my batarangs and threw them at the approaching Two Face. He dodged.

My fear grew. I'd been trained! He shouldn't have been able to dodge them! I was being sloppy. Two Face grabbed me by the hair, hauling me up. "It was a terrible idea to bring you into this game." He hissed in my ear.

I screamed. "Batman!"

"I think he's just going to watch." Joker said.

"Batman!" I struggled uselessly. Two Face was holding me by my hair, two feet off the ground. And there, at the Joker's feet, lay Batman. He was bloodied and I saw a large wound across his stomach that he was holding. A knife was in Joker's hand, red liquid dripping off it. Batman coughed and I saw blood trickle down his mouth.

My body hung limp. _Batman!_ He couldn't be hurt. He couldn't just lay there. He couldn't be that hurt! He was Batman, he wasn't supposed to lose!

"See Batsy? The kid was a bad idea." Joker said. He kicked him in the side and rather than just take it, Batman grunted loudly and fell down. My eyes widened in horror. _No!_

Batman turned his head to meet my eyes. "Now, as much as I'd like to kill you," Joker said, "I think it would be more fitting to watch the little boy die first."

"B-batman." I sobbed. I tried not to, but my tears flowed down my face.

Two Face dropped me. I started to fall but suddenly his fist swung out and hit me in the face. I hissed, going with the punch. I had to think! I had to get us out of this!

"Oh look. I guess it'll take more than one hit." Joker laughed. I saw him step onto Batman's back, pressing his heel down. "I guess we'll have some fun then."

Two Face brought his leg up, kicking me in the stomach. He was saying something but I didn't listen. His foot hit my nose and I felt it break. I tried not to cry, tried not to scream. Mostly I tried to think of a way to get us out of there. Nothing was coming. Just pain.

Suddenly something wacked into my head. Joker was there now, a crowbar in his hands. Now both punches and the crowbar were coming down on me.

I couldn't help it. I screamed. I screamed for Batman, for help, for anything. "Daddy!" I shrieked finally.

Joker stopped Two Face and howled with laughter. "Daddy?" He mocked. "Is that who Batman is? Your Daddy?" He laughed again. He grabbed my cape and dragged me towards Batman who was still lying there. He threw me at him. "Is that it, Bats? He's your son?"

Batman snarled.

"Daddy." I sobbed again.

"Well, Bats?" Joker waited but Batman gave no other reply. He was staring at me but I couldn't see his face I was crying so hard. "Fine. Suit yourself. He'll die right before your eyes."

Joker raised the crowbar but it didn't make it. Batman lunged at him, slamming him into the floor. He ripped the crowbar from his hands and slammed it down across the Joker's head.

I tried to roll over so I could see what was going on as they moved out of my vision. I couldn't see. I couldn't move. My legs hurt so badly.

I heard more shots going off. I heard screams- the Joker's intertwined with laughter.

"He is my son." Batman growled. This was followed by a loud 'thunk'. "Don't you ever touch him again!" I heard something crash as Joker was thrown aside.

More shots going off. I finally managed to push myself up and I turned over. Batman was on top of Two Face now, letting his punches rain down mercilessly. I saw blood all over his chest and there were small trails flowing from his arms and legs. Right now Batman didn't seem to notice he just kept punching Two Face until he was unconscious. Only then did he stop.

"B-batman?" I stuttered. I couldn't stand but I was able to sit.

Batman was breathing hard. His shoulders rose and fell harshly. He turned to me and even with the mask I could tell something was off. He staggered to my side and my eyes widened. "Batman!" I cried.

"Are you ok?" Batman asked. His voice was weaker as he knelt beside me.

"I'm f-fine." I lied. "Are you?"

Batman opened his mouth then quickly closed it. He fell onto the ground beside me. His legs stretched out in front of him, his one arm supporting all his weight. "Robin, come here." He said softly. I crawled into his embrace and his one arm wrapped around me tightly. His face rested against my head. I felt my eyes well up with tears and my throat tightened up.

"You need h-help." I sobbed. "You're bl-bleeding."

"Be a good boy, Dickey." Batman murmured. His breathing was getting ragged. He pressed a kiss lightly on my head. I gave a wail.

"Daddy!"

"I'm here." He murmured tiredly. He leaned backwards. His back was supported lightly by a beam. I wrapped myself around him, cuddling up to his side.

"Don't go, Daddy." I begged. "The police will be here soon. They'll help you."

Batman said nothing. I clutched at his cape with one hand and hugged him tightly with the other. Batman's arm tightened around me a moment.

"Daddy," I begged again.

Bruce coughed, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. He needed help _now_.

"Where is your communicator?" I asked.

"Third- left." Bruce gasped. His hand was tightening and loosening in a frightening pattern on my shoulder. I fumbled in his belt until I found it. I flipped it open and shouted for help.

"Batman?" A voice came out intermixed with static.

"Help!" I exclaimed, sobbing pathetically. "B-batman is-"

Suddenly Batman's arm went limp. "Batman!" I shrieked. I dropped the communicator and grabbed onto him. I shook him. "Wake up! Batman!"

"Robin? Robin!" The device was screaming my name. It sounded like Superman.

"Daddy…." I begged, sobbing into Bruce's chest. He didn't move.

"Robin! Where are you?" Superman begged.

I reached for the communicator. "W-ware-h-house f-f-five…" I sobbed weakly.

Not a moment later Superman was beside me. "Oh god." He whispered.

"Help him." I begged. I wrapped myself back around Batman, clinging as tightly as I could to his prone figure.

"Superman to Watchtower. I need three zeta beams and transport to medbay immediately."

There was a sudden bright light and then Batman and I were lying not in the old building but in the watch tower.

"Robin, I'll be right back." Superman promised. "Let me help him." He had to pry me off. I couldn't seem to figure out how to unclench my hands from Batman's cape. Superman scooped up Batman and flew as fast as he could to the med bay. Then I was scooped up into Flash's waiting arms.

"It's ok, kid. I've got you." Flash murmured into my hair.

I let out another wail and flung my arms around his neck. _Batman_. Flash hugged me tightly, pressing his face into my hair. "Shhhh…" He said. "I've got you."

"B-b-batman…" I sobbed.

"Superman already has him in our hospital. If they can do anything, they're doing it."

I whimpered.

"I'm going to take you there too, ok?" Flash said gently. "You were shot." I nodded my head slightly. "Good boy," Flash murmured soothingly. "Hold on tight to me." I tightened my arms as much as I could.

I felt the familiar sensation of wind as he ran. By the time we arrived my eyes were closing.

* * *

><p>I woke with a scream. "It's ok, Robin. It's ok." A soothing voice said. I spun my head around, only to see Superman.<p>

"Batman?" I demanded, looking around furiously. We were in one of the medical rooms. Wonder Woman sat on the other side of the bed. Flash was beside her. By the door were John and Hawkgirl. J'onn was in the corner. Superman took my hands in his. My eyes widened. "Batman?" I whispered again.

"He's in surgery." Superman said softly.

"He… he's going to be ok, right?" I asked. He had to be. He _had _to. He had to be ok because he was Batman…because he was my father.

Superman was silent a little too long. "We're doing our best." He said finally.

My lip trembled and I began to shake. I knew what that meant. It meant that he was dying.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. Diana was hugging me tightly, her cheek pressing against my head. "He _will_ be ok." Diana insisted, half to me and half to Clark. I wrapped my arms around her. She was comforting. She felt safe.

I felt another hand rubbing my back and knew it was Flash. Barry was trying his best to comfort me as well. I just sobbed and clung to them. They were safe. With them I could believe that may he'd be ok.

"What happened, Robin?" Superman asked after a long time.

"We were in-investigating." I whispered. I struggled not to cry. "There were only e-eight guys. Batman told me to st-stay behind and then Joker and Two Face were there…. They were going to sh-shoot him. So I jumped down. But they got me." I sobbed weakly. It hurt to cry anymore. "And Batman was hurt but he stopped them after they hurt me."

Diana smoothed my hair just like Bruce did. She whispered words into my ears. I clung to her hopefully.

It was agonizing. The waiting was. Diana held me until I stopped crying. Then I was passed to Flash. J'onn decided to check me again and they rebadged my legs. Then I was back in Flash's arms as we waited more. Soon I was passed to Superman while the others got food. They all came back to eat. They wanted me to but I couldn't bring myself to do so. I felt sick.

Hours later I was tucked back into bed. The members flitted in and out now, but at least two were always in the room with me. I'd asked hundreds of times to go see Batman, but he was still in surgery. I shivered at the thought. If he was still in surgery… what did that mean?

"Robin," Superman held his arms out to me and I climbed from Diana to him. "Batman just came out of surgery. He's not awake… but we can take you to see him."

I nodded at the unspoken question and Superman walked down the hall. We met up with the rest of the league infront of the door. They all looked nervously at each other before Superman pushed open the doors and stepped inside.

The room was entirely white. Batman was hooked up to a total of five different machines. I shivered. He had bandages all over. He didn't even have his mask on anymore. All he had on was a pair of pants.

"Daddy." I whispered. I jumped out of Superman's arms despite the wounds in my legs and climbed up onto Batman's bed. He was asleep. His chest was rising and falling. I curled up against his side, pulling one of his arms around me in a lazy hug. "Daddy…don't die."

I heard someone sob but I didn't look to see who it was.

They were talking about vitals. They spoke about him but all I heard was "He may not make it."

"You have to make it, Bruce." I begged softly. "You aren't allowed to leave me. You promised you wouldn't."

* * *

><p>It took five days for Batman to wake up. Not once in all of those five days had I left his side. Not once had I stopped hoping. He had to win. He had to wake up. He was Batman.<p>

When his eyes finally opened I'd sobbed with relief. "Daddy!" I shrieked, throwing my arms around him.

"Dick?" He mumbled weakly.

"Don't leave me again. Don't leave me!" I knew I was wailing but I didn't care. I buried my face into his shoulder, sobbing away.

"Dick." This time my name was a breath of relief. I felt his head nuzzle against mine. "I'm here, son. It's ok."

"You died." I whispered. "Your heart stopped twice."

"I'm here now." he seemed amazed by the fact. "Where are we?"

"The Watch Tower. You feel asleep and I called Superman. He brought us here."

"Good." Bruce nuzzled my head again. "You're such a good boy, Dickey." He murmured. I felt myself beaming with pride despite my tears.

"I thought you were going to die." I whispered. "I thought you were going to leave me."

"I won't leave you again." He promised. His arm moved to wrap around me tightly. "I'm here now, little bird. I'm here..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well? What did you think of the new style? Like Robin's POV? Like hurting the characters? Did I make anyone shed a tear? **

**Hope you enjoyed! Please Review.**


	9. Magic Potions

**A/N: it's been about a week since I've updated so... have some cute Robin fluff! **

**I've had this idea for awhile, after OffMyTea said to make a story where Robin gets into sugar. For some reason, my mind said "coffee". I started writing this awhile ago and just finished. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>Robin held his elbow and made soft whimpering noises as he entered the monitor womb. These actions alone were enough to make every single head in the room turn to him.<p>

"Hey there little guy," Aquaman said as he hurried to the kid's side. "What's the matter?"

"I scraped my elbow." Robin said softly. He held the bruised elbow up for inspection. "I fell."

"Do you need a Band-Aid?" Aquaman asked.

Robin shook his head. "Where's Batman?"

"He just left with Superman. They had a mission. I think it was urgent." Robin's face fell. Aquaman gulped. He did _not_ want those impending tears. "Is there anything I can do?"

Robin just shook his head. "No." His hand clamped over his skinned elbow. "I wanted Batman to kiss it and make it better."

Aquaman smiled at the boy's words, trying not to laugh. "I'm sure he'll do that as soon as he gets back." He managed to say. He only hiccupped on his words a few times.

"Ok. I'll wait for him." Robin mumbled. He walked dejectedly over to Batman's chair. He climbed into the tall seat and waited. He hoped Batman got back soon. His elbow really hurt…

But then his eyes fell on something even better. There was Batman's magic potion!

At least, that's what Robin was assuming it was. Whenever morning came Alfred would give Bruce a cup of that and in minutes he'd go from grumbly half awake Bruce to a much more cheerful Bruce. Batman would usually drink it before or during patrol as well. After he drank it he was always much more energetic. Any injuries he'd gotten he seemed to forget about.

That could only mean that the dark liquid was magic.

Batman must really have been in a hurry because he'd left a mug of the steaming substance behind.

Robin looked around quickly. The people were watching him warily, but no one would care if he just took a drink. After all, the magic should be able to make his elbow feel better!

Robin slowly took a hold of the mug and brought it to his lips. No one seemed to notice so he grinned. How much should he drink? Batman usually drank at least four of those cups in the morning. But he was a lot smaller than Bruce, so drinking one cup would probably be ok.

He took a breath in. The mug was warm and steam wafted up past his face. It almost looked like chocolate. The really dark kind that Alfred liked.

Robin tilted the cup up and drank the whole glass in one gulp.

"Hot!" He exclaimed. He waved a hand in front of his burning mouth. No wonder Batman drank it slowly! It didn't taste very good either. But then again, it was a magic potion. He supposed those didn't have to taste good as long as they worked.

Speaking of which… Robin looked down at his elbow. It was still scraped up. Maybe it just took a while to heal. Maybe that was the other reason Batman drank it slowly.

Robin shrugged and hopped out of Batman's chair. He guessed he'd find out.

* * *

><p>The doors opened and Green Lantern and Hawkgirl walked into the training room at the Watch Tower. "You're sure that's what they said?" Hawkgirl was asking. "I don't think that…"<p>

She trailed off as she heard something that sounded suspiciously like laughter. The two froze and looked around the room. There wasn't anyone there.

There was the laughter again! Then a squeal of happiness.

The two looked up and Green Lantern gave a cry. "Robin!"

Thirty feet up the beams on the ceiling crisscrossed making a dizzying maze of support systems. And there was Robin running across the beams and flipping from one to the next, completely unconcerned that there wasn't a net beneath him.

Robin leapt from one bar, doing two flips midair, before coming to rest on the next one. He squealed in delight and did a back handspring.

The next moment he was encircled in a ball of green light. Robin twisted about. "What are you doing?" Robin called as Green Lantern brought him to the floor. Both heroes were white faced and frantic.

"Are you ok?" Green Lantern demanded as his ring let Robin go. "What were you doing?"

Robin frowned at the two. He began jumping from on foot to the next eagerly. "I'm fine." He whined. " What's wrong? Did you need me for something?" He wanted to get back up there.

"We were trying to keep you from being hurt!" Hawkgirl exclaimed. "What were you _doing_?" "I was just playing." Robin said with a shrug.

"_Playing?_ You're going to get yourself killed!" John cried.

Robin laughed. "Nu-uh. I have my grapping hook. I'd be fine."

"Listen, kid. Batman may think it's appropriate for you to jump off buildings, but you are _not_ allowed to be doing that when no one's around!" Hawkgirl growled. "You could have cracked your head open."

"No I wouldn't have." Robin said. Before they could do anything he was scaling up the wall and was back on the rafters. "See? Watch!"

John screamed as Robin jumped. Quicker than Hawkgirl could even open her wings Robin's grappling hook had shot out, latched onto a bar beam and had pulled him up to safety. "See?" He called. "I'm ok!"

John gave a weak gasp. "I think my heart just stopped."

"I can't believe Batman lets him do this." Hawkgirl agreed.

They couldn't bring themselves to look away. They watched the entire time Robin was playing. Not once did he fall. He didn't even stumble. He just flipped from bar to bar, catapulted across the beams, and ran through the deathtrap like it was nothing. What kind of training did Batman put him through?

But soon Robin was board. He climbed down from his perch and waved a cheerful goodbye to the two heroes. As soon as he was gone they sunk to the ground.

They were never getting sidekicks.

* * *

><p>The one thing Robin never liked about the watch tower was that it was so boring! Everything was white or gray walls. Some of the bed rooms were decorated. Flash's was done in reds and yellows and had action figures all around it. And Diana's was decorated in a Greek fashion. But all in all, the tower was so <em>boring<em>.

Robin was going to change that.

Armed with buckets of paint and spray paint that he'd found in the hangar, he strode into the conference room. He grinned. They were going to be so happy!

He took a paint brush out and began to paint. He knew where each of the original seven sat here. So, he was going to use their colors and paint their parts of the room.

He started with the chairs. Superman's would be blue, Batman's black, Wonder Woman's gold, Flash's red, Green Lantern's dark green, Hawk girl's orange, and J'onn's light green. After the chairs were painted he painted the walls in stripes of the colors, then he painted the ceiling too, and finally, the carpet.

Now the room looked _much_ better. There wasn't an ounce of white left in the room! Robin grinned at his handy work.

It looked _so_ good that he should work on more of the tower! Batman would be so proud of him.

* * *

><p>After painting another conference room entirely in red-white-and blue, Robin was starting to feel tired. He didn't know <em>why<em> though. Then he realized it was probably part of the potion. It must have been wearing off. He poked his elbow and let out a gasp. It still hurt. The potion must have worn off!

Batman always got his potions from Alfred, who got them from the kitchen. Logically, this kitchen must stock them too. It had to.

So Robin ran off toward one of the tinier kitchens.

And lo and behold, Black Canary was there, making a steaming pot of the stuff. "Dihna?" Robin questioned as he walked in. "What's that?" He pointed towards the pot.

"It's coffee." Black Canary said, smiling at him.

Robin grinned widely. _That _was what the magic potion was called. He'd heard Batman call it that too. "Can I have some?" He asked.

The blonde laughed. "I think you're a bit young for coffee, Robin."

"It's for Batman." He lied easily. He felt a little guilty for lying. He knew it wasn't good to lie. But he really wanted that coffee.

Dihna sighed. "Batman." She grumbled. "He can't even come get it himself." She poured Robin a mug full. "Here."

Robin's eyes lit up. "Thank you!" He squealed.

He ran out of the room and quickly hurried to Batman's room. No one would get mad at him for drinking the potion there. Once inside he quickly gulped the hot liquid down.

* * *

><p>He wanted to do something <em>fun<em>.

"Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!" Robin screamed while jumping up and down beside the red-clad hero. "Flash, Flash, Flash, _Flash_!"

The man chuckled at the kid's exuberant behavior. "What's up Robin?"

"Play with me." Robin demanded. Without warning he'd climbed up Flash's back and came to rest on the man's shoulders. "Play!"  
>"Um, ok. Want to go for a run?"<p>

"Yes!"

In seconds they were speeding around the tower. Robin's peals of laughter and squeals of joy echoed around the building. Flash ran up and down the halls, through the maze of rooms, from the top of the tower to the bottom and back. Robin just bounced on his shoulders the entire time, squealing for more.

"Ok, kid, let me take a breather." Flash gasped. He stopped for a second in the lobby.

"A breather?" Robin questioned. He flipped off Flash's shoulders.

Flash nodded. "I need a rest kid."

"Ok!" Robin agreed and soon was off running to Diana, demanding she play with him. Flash shook his head. Batman must have been ignoring him again or something. Usually Robin wasn't so exuberant. He'd probably been bored at home and was making up for it now.

He hoped it was the case at least. He liked playing with the boy, but he didn't know how many more times he could have entertained the kid. Somehow the kid had as much energy as Wally, and he wasn't even a speedster!

* * *

><p>After playing with Flash, Diana, Hal Jordon, The Atom, and a few superheroes whose names he didn't even know, Robin was hungry. After all, he'd been playing for hours.<p>

He trotted off towards the kitchen. Halfway there he decided he didn't like that, so he climbed onto his hands and walked there like that instead. He laughed the whole time. People kept giving him funny looks. Couldn't _they_ walk on their hands? Oh well, adults were weird anyway.

When he got into the kitchen he realized that it was dinner time. The place was packed with heroes and a little kid like him got lost in the fray. Robin scowled as his stomach grumbled loudly. They were having spaghetti. That was his favorite meal.

He looked up hopefully at the heroes around him. They were all waiting in line too. Robin sighed. This was going to take forever. Batman would tell him to be patient…but Batman wasn't here.

A smile flew across the boy wonder's face.

He grabbed onto Aquaman's back, eliciting a small cry from the man. "Sorry!" Robin exclaimed as he climbed up the man. He pushed his face into view, grinning at the Atlantian. "Excuse me!"

Without warning, Robin climbed onto his shoulder and launched himself at the next target. He landed with ease on Captain Atom's shoulder. Giving him a similar apology Robin kept bounding on down the line. He called "sorry!" after each one and left a very startled line of superheroes in his wake.

With one last flip, Robin landed on the kitchen counter. "Hi!" He exclaimed, startling the lunch lady half to death. "Can I have some spaghetti?"

Wordlessly she handed it over. The boy grinned and jumped down. He waved at the heroes he'd just jumped across. "Thanks!" He called to them all. No one knew what to say.

They had even less to say when, instead of sitting at a table, the boy climbed onto a small ledge twenty feet off the ground. Balancing precariously on the edge, his plate balanced on one knee, the boy ate, undisturbed by his odd perch.

"What the heck is he doing?" Orion asked.

"I have no idea." Aquaman said. He'd been trying to peel his eyes away, but he couldn't.

"He's going to kill himself." Booster Gold added.

Suddenly the boy stood on one foot, for that's all that would fit in the small space. He threw his plate out and it landed perfectly in the garbage can. Then his grappling gun was out and he was swinging across the ceiling of the cafeteria, squealing with mirth.

He flipped down in front of the doors. Turning to the silent room he gave a deep bow. Slowly, uncertain, a round of applause went up. Grinning from ear to ear, the tiny boy left.

* * *

><p>After observing the people in the kitchen, Robin realized that the magic potion was fairly common. Everyone seemed to drink it. It must have been developed for the superhero community.<p>

Which meant, according to Robin at least, that he was able to have it.

He watched carefully as each person made a pot of the substance they called 'coffee'. Once he was certain the room was empty Robin climbed down from his hiding space.

Now it was his turn to see if he could make a pot.

He followed the steps that the other people had and soon there was a cup of the magic potion waiting for him. Robin was overjoyed. Batman would be so proud of him!

Returning with what was his fifth cup of coffee that day, Robin went back to Batman's room. He only ever drank the coffee there, just in case someone would get mad at him for having the substance.

The next one to see him was Green Arrow. He'd only been going to the entertainment room to find a CD. Instead, the moment he opened the door a child had fallen in front of his face.

"Boo!" Robin shouted.

And Green Arrow screamed.

Robin was laughing happily. "I scared you!" He called. There was a rope hanging from his back and he seemed to have been dangling from the ceiling.

"Where did you come from?" Green Arrow cried.

Robin's face scrunched up in concentration. "Mommy and Daddy said the stork brought me, but Batman said I was in mommy's stomach." He shrugged. Adults got so weird when you asked them were babies came from. Robin was fairly sure that they didn't really know.

"But I mean…." Green Arrow sputtered indignantly. Robin giggled again and rolled himself up the rope to dangle once more from the rafters. Green Arrow shuddered slightly. The CD could wait.

* * *

><p>"Robin!" Superman's cry stopped Robin in his motions. The little boy glanced inquisitively down at the man of steel. Superman was staring at the wall, his mouth open. "What are you doing?"<p>

"I'm drawing a mural." Robin said.

"On the living room wall?"

"Yea." Robin shrugged. He didn't know why it was such a big deal. Alfred wanted to have one painted on the ceiling of their ballroom. So Robin had decided they needed one in the Watch Tower too.

Currently he was dangling from the ceiling, his suspension cords holding him up. He'd already finished the bottom of the drawing and was now working on the top. He was glad he'd found so many permanent markers in the supply room or else he'd never be able to finish his mural.

Superman was just staring at it though.

Robin's face fell and he slowly lowered himself to the ground. "Don't you like it?" He asked softly. "Batman always said I was a good artist… I tried really hard to make it look good."

"It's beautiful." Superman hastened to assure him. "I'm just wondering why you drew it on the living room wall."

"Isn't that where murals go?" Robin questioned. "Or do you always have to put them on the ceiling?"

"I…" Superman honestly didn't know what to say. What had gone through Robin's mind? Usually the boy would have known better than to do something like this.

Superman didn't have a chance to respond because soon Robin had taken his hand and was pointing out what he'd drawn. "See? I put all of the heroes in the Justice League on there." He was saying as he pointed them each out. "And you're up at the top because you can fly. I put Green Lantern up there too. And see, that ones me. And Kid Flash and Flash are the blur right there, and Batman is up on the top of the roof because he's hiding. And then I was going to write "The Justice League" across the top of the room… but not until I was done."

When the older hero still hadn't said anything Robin looked heartbroken. "You hate it." He whispered with a hint of a sob in his voice.

"I don't hate it!" Superman said quickly. If there was one thing he hated, it was seeing Robin cry. "Just tell me why you drew it."

"Why? Because Alfred says murals make things look nicer. And everything is so white and boring here." Robin shuffled his feet warily. "And I thought that murals were supposed to be of important things. Alfred wants to paint angels… but I thought that superheroes were really important too."

Superman couldn't argue with the boy when he sounded so sad. And he had good intensions. Superman's eyes trailed back to the child like drawing that now covered an entire wall. "I like it." He said finally. "I'm sure everyone else will too."

A huge smile lit up the small boy's face. He threw his arms around Superman's waist. "Thank you Uncle Kal!" The boy cried.

Soon he was back, hanging from the rafters, to put the finishing touches on his drawings.

Superman stayed, watching with interest. Robin chatted the whole time, jumping from one subject to the next so fast that he soon had no idea what the boy was talking about. At some point he was fairly sure the topic was tap dancing spiders though.

"Robin, after this I think it's time for you to go to bed." Superman said.

"I'm not sleepy!" The boy cried.

"It's almost midnight."

"Batman isn't asleep."

"Batman is on a mission. You know you're supposed to be in bed on time when he isn't around."

There was a long suffering sigh from Robin before he agreed. "Fine." He whined. He finished the words and climbed down. "Good night Uncle Kal."

"Goodnight, Robin." Superman smiled at the boy.

Robin gave him a hesitant smile back before rushing off to Batman's little used room.

* * *

><p>Batman was exhausted. He'd spent the entire day working on a mission. The night before he'd been up chasing the Penguin and the night before that he'd been in long conferences as Bruce Wayne. So, when he finally arrived back at the Watch Tower, not only was he exhausted, he was also very grumpy.<p>

The heroes that met him with hard expressions on their faces didn't help anything.

"What?" He growled as they approached him.

"It's about Robin." Wonder Woman said.

"What about him?" Batman noticed that he wasn't around. He was probably in bed already.

"He's been acting weird all day." Flash said.

Batman shrugged. "How so?"

"He was playing in the rafters, scaring the heck out of everyone-" Hawkgirl said.

"-and he had more energy than me!" Flash cut in.

"He was impatient and couldn't concentrate." Green Arrow added.

Superman nodded, his face angry. "And he defaced three rooms."

Batman just glared at him. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean what did _we_ do?" Black Canary demanded. "You must have done something to make Robin act like that."

"I think it was fairly clear that he wanted attention." J'onn said smoothly. "I believe he was angry at your for something and gained attention through his action today."

"If he was angry he'd be hiding and wouldn't talk." Batman said. That's how Robin acted when he was upset. He just cut himself off from everything. Right now it just sounded like he got into the sugar bin. Speaking of which… "What did you give him to eat?"

"Eat? Batman-," Green Lantern started to complain but Batman cut him off.

"Did you give him sugar?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Aquaman said. "All I saw him eat was the spaghetti at dinner."

Black Canary shook her head. "You're the one who kept sending him to the kitchen to get coffee today."

Batman froze. "You gave him coffee." He said slowly.

"For you." She snapped.

"He asked me to get some for you too." Flash said.

"Me too." Green Arrow added. "Can't you get your own?"

Batman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I haven't been here at all today." He said. Without another word he strode off towards his room.

"But he said…" Flash mumbled. His eyes widened and he groaned, quickly hurrying after Batman. "I'm really sorry, Bats." He said quickly. "If I'd have know you know I'd never have given him that stuff. I _know_ what happens. Really. Sorry."

Batman just scowled. "I would have thought you'd have learned your lesson after Wally and him got into the sugar at your house."

"That wasn't my fault!" Flash protested.

Batman ignored him and pushed open the door to his room. Sure enough, empty mugs lay scattered about the room.

"Geeze! How much did he drink?" Green Arrow exclaimed.

"Looks like twelve cups." Batman muttered.

"That's one an hour." Superman said.

Batman opened the bathroom door. "Robin…" he said slowly in a warning tone.

Blue eyes met his. Robin was kneeling in front of the toilet. His face was flushed and tears fell from his eyes. Robin sniffed loudly and rubbed his mouth.

"I don't feel good." He whimpered. A moment later he'd turned and hurled into the toilet. He sobbed loudly and wrapped his arms around himself. "My stomach hurts."

"That's because you were drinking coffee." Batman said. He sat beside his son though and gently rubbed his back. "You know that if you eat too much sugar you get sick."

"But it isn't sugar."

"Caffeine is the same thing."

Robin shook his head. "But it was a magic potion."

"Magic?" Batman frowned. "Robin, it's just a drink. A drink with lots of sugar. It helps us stay awake."

"Oh." Robin moaned and quickly threw up again. Once he was finished he turned to hide his face in Batman's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He whimpered.

Batman shook his head. "Don't do it again." He warned.

"I won't." Robin promised.

Batman was fairly sure he was supposed to be mad at the kid. After all, he'd destroyed two of the conference rooms by painting them. And he'd also drawn a mural on another wall, and apparently been rather bad. But, with the boy so sick now, Batman just couldn't find it in himself to be angry.

He could be angry later. After all the kid had learned his lesson.

"I'm never drinking that stuff again." Robin moaned.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed the story! **

**I'm working on a lot of others which are still in the work-in-progress stage. ****A lot of people have requested ones with Roy in it. If you have any specific ideas or suggestions on how he should act, that would be greatly appriciated! I don't know too all much about him. **

**Thank you again for reading and to all my wonderful reviewers!**


	10. Speedys, Robins, and Clowns oh my!

**A/N: By very popular request: here is Roy! A few people mentioned Roy and Dick meeting for the first time. I hope you enjoy!**

**Once again, thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I really love it when I get reviews. Especially when you tell me your favorite parts. Or when I get an idea from reading your comments!**

**Here is some info to help you with the story:**

**-Bulls-Eye. You probably don't know him. I sure didn't before I went on Wikipedia to find a good villain for Green Arrow, since I knew none. Basically, he's Green Arrow's Joker. He isn't as crazy or menacing as Joker is though as he was a villain back in the 1940s. His name is Leapo the clown and he wore a bullseye on his chest and was a crack shot. Look him up in google images if you need a visual. I liked that he was similar to Joker though so I figured I could pretend I knew what I was writing about.**

**-That info is basically useless since I managed to ignore most of the fight scene.**

**- Dick is eight in the story, Roy is 13**

* * *

><p>Roy really hated these parties. He hated them with every fiber of his being. The smile he forced onto his face was now more of a grimace because of said hatred. He hated how the ladies oogled Ollie. He hated how some treated him like a little kid. He also hated the ladies that fell over him too. He hated how everyone tried to schmoose.<p>

So basically, this wasn't fun for the thirteen year old.

The fact that his mentor now seemed to think that a eight year old was good company just made it worse.

Roy looked from Ollie to the tiny boy in what he was sure was mounting horror. Ollie didn't expect him to babysit some spoiled rich kid, did he? He looked back at his mentor who was smiling broadly and talking with Bruce Wayne, a fellow millionaire.

The little boy, Wayne's ward, was looking at him with a mix of annoyance and shyness. One of his hands clutched possessively at Wayne's pant leg. Roy comforted himself with that though. The boy probably wouldn't leave him meaning Roy wouldn't have to deal with him. Unless of course, Mr. Wayne didn't care and threw him at him anyway. A lot of parents were like that with their kids.

Bruce didn't help Roy's opinion when he sighed deeply and looked at the child. "Dick," He said firmly. "You have to let go at some point."

"No I don't." The boy said quickly. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Roy.

"Sorry. He's shy." Bruce said to Ollie.

Roy rolled his eyes. As if that needed to be said.

"I'm not shy." Dick said in a small voice. "He's just mean." He looked up at Bruce. "Can we go now?"

"Not yet. Ollie and I have business to discuss."

"Business?" The boy questioned. Bruce nodded. The boy deflated and he sighed. "Ok." He mumbled.

"Why don't you go get some food?" Bruce suggested. He glanced at Ollie. "I'm guessing everything here is safe for him, right?"

"It's fine." Ollie assured him. But he felt the need to add, "Roy, go help him."

"Sure." Roy agreed dully. He left the two to talk about business and followed the small child to the buffet table. The boy was so short he could barely see the table top. Roy asked. "Need help, Shorty?" He didn't mean to sneer, but it happened.

Dick made a face at him. Before Roy could even think, Dick had launched himself upwards. He landed on a clear edge of the table, making the people around him shriek. The kid didn't even look phased by it and just started eating the nearest chocolate covered strawberries. Despite himself, Roy chuckled.

"Nice one." He offered.

The boy gave him a small smile. "Want one?" he offered Roy one of the candies. Roy took it and they spent a moment eating. Roy's eyes trailed across the room. Ollie and Bruce had moved away from the party goers to stand next to the windows, talking very seriously. Roy's eyes flitted across the ballroom, watching the different people.

Roy looked back at Dick. The child had decided he was through with eating and had somersaulted off the table, leaving even more stunned party goers behind. Roy chuckled. He was beginning to like the kid, if only because he annoyed the other people.

"What do you want to do?" Roy asked. He figured Ollie and Bruce didn't want either of them coming back soon.

"I don't know. Do you have anything not boring?"

Roy shrugged. "Not here." He glanced around the party again and smirked. "Want to leave?"

"Yes!" Dick agreed readily. Roy was just glad for the excuse to leave. He quickly ushered the boy out of the room. When Ollie would chastise him later, he'd claim it was the kid's idea.

"What are we going to do?" The child demanded once they left the hall.

Roy shrugged. "Don't know." He didn't care either. He was just glad he wasn't back at the party. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could ditch Dick somewhere and then leave for awhile.

There was no such luck. Dick refused to leave his side and kept demanding things to do. Roy was trying to ignore him, but man was the kid insistent.

"I'm going back to Bruce. You're boring." Dick proclaimed. He spun on his heel and turned away.

"Fine, go back."

"I will." Dick said firmly. He stomped off.

Roy breathed a sigh of relief. His plan had worked after all! Two turns later though he began to panic. He'd just let the kid run off. It was doubtful that he actually knew his way around. He'd probably get lost and then Roy would get in trouble.

The redhead swore before running after the kid. "Dick? Dick, where are you?" He called. No reply. He willed himself a bit faster to catch up. "Dick?"

From a nearby hall there was a crash. Roy's heart leapt to his throat. Good lord. Please don't let that have been the kid! Or an heirloom!

Roy rounded the corner, coming face to face with a pile of armor and a tiny boy. Dick was staring in horror at the suit that now lay scattered about the ground. He looked back at the older boy and when he did so his face flushed in embarrassment. Angry tears came to his eyes.

"I'm sorry." The boy whispered his voice tight and choked. "I didn't mean to."

Slowly, Roy approached the scene. The armor was years- maybe even centuries- old. And the kid had somehow managed to knock it all down. The pieces were scattered about the floor. Nothing looked dented to him, but who knew. He opened his mouth to yell at the kid, but the blue eyes stopped him.

The kid looked so upset. Like someone had just run over his cat or something. "I'm sorry." Dick whispered again. "I was just trying to get up higher so I could see better. I didn't know where the door was." He gave a soft whimper and rubbed at his eyes.

Without realizing what he was doing Roy had knelt beside him, a smile on his face. "It's ok." He said. "It's no big deal."

"But-but it was important." He sobbed.

Roy chuckled. "It's from some stupid castle in Europe. Nothing to be upset about."

Blue eyes overflowed with tears. "Ollie will be upset." Dick whimpered. "And Bruce will be dis-disappointed."

"They don't have to know." Roy said quickly. He grabbed onto Dick's arms. "We'll pretend we didn't know, ok? I'll say that some drunken party member knocked it over. It's ok. They won't be upset. I promise."

Dick looked hopeful. "You promise?"

"I promise." Roy said firmly.

Dick gave him a tiny smile. Roy was surprised when he smiled back. He was even more surprised when he took the kid's hand and offered to take him on a tour.

Roy spent awhile playing tour guide. He walked through the halls and made up stories to entertain the kid. Oddly, the kid seemed impressed. His eyes were wide as Roy pointed out details. He wasn't like others who just snorted and went 'daddy is richer'. He even seemed to believe Roy when he told him the suit of armor came from a dragon's lair.

Roy was finding he liked the child.

* * *

><p>"Roy! Look here!" Dick cried. He ran from Roy's side to look out the window. His eyes were shining. "You can see stars."<p>

Roy smiled softly and followed the child's view. "Do you know where the Orion is?"

"Up there." Dick pointed to the sky and Roy chuckled.

"Kind of" Roy sat down and began to point out the constellation. "You have to look for Orion's Belt first. Its three stars in a row."

"Like Batman's utility belt." Dick agreed readily.

Roy smiled. "Right. Like Batman's utility belt."

"Could Orion be Batman?" The boy asked.

"I don't think so." Roy shrugged. The kid sure had an imagination. "Maybe he could be Green Arrow though."

"No. Batman's cooler." Dick said firmly.

Roy smirked. "I'll agree with you kid." He said. "Although I haven't met Batman yet."

The child looked at him. "Sure you have."

"Oh really?" Roy was confused at his words.

He just shrugged though. "Sure. Where is the rest of Batman?"

"You mean Orion." Roy corrected, figuring that's what the kid had meant.

"Batman." The boy insisted.

The spent the next couple minutes pointing out the constellations. Dick insisted on renaming them all. Roy found it amusing.

He wasn't sure why the child was so infectious. He laughed and Roy laughed with him. He smiled and Roy wanted to smile too.

"Alright, kid, I think it's time to head back." Roy said. "We should get you back to Mr. Wayne."

"Ok." Dick agreed rather reluctantly. He took Roy's hand in his. Roy didn't protest. For some reason the action even made him smile.

Dick was talking happily as they approached the ballroom. "And then-"

Suddenly Roy hushed him. "Did you hear that?"

The next moment a terrified shriek echoed throughout the building, followed by the shattering of glass and more screams. Simultaneously Roy and Dick ran for the door. He pushed it open and gasped.

Someone had just flown a plane through the ballroom windows.

_A plane._

"Joker!" Dick gasped. The plane hatched opened and from it came about twelve men in clown masks, all pointing guns at the guests. In the cockpit was Joker, his smile spread into a wide grin.

Sitting beside him was another clown. "Bulls-Eye." Roy whispered.

"Hello there rich people!" Joker cried as he stood up. "Don't worry! Tonight my clown friends and I are just here for the money. If you will please deposit all of your credit cards, jewelry, cash, and other valuables into the bags no one will get hurt." Beside him Bulls-Eye locked his gun into place, smiling as he pointed it at the guests.

Roy quickly shut the door and grabbed Dick. "Move." He ordered, pointing down the hall. "There is a phone in the study. Call 911."

"What about you? I want to help."

"You'll be helping by calling 911." Roy urged. He grabbed Dick's arm dragging him down the hall before either of the clowns could spot them. "Dick, listen to me."

"No! You listen." Dick insisted. "I can help."

"Dick," He growled.

"Speedy…"

Roy froze. "What?"

"I can help." The boy insisted. Then, to Roy's utter shock, the child pulled a belt out of his jacket sleeve. Not just any belt though. A utility belt. The boy flashed a beaming smile at him. "I can help," Dick said, "because I'm Robin."

"You're… what?"

"Robin, Batman's partner. And you're Speedy, Green Arrow's partner." Dick waited expectantly. When Roy continued to just stare at him he frowned. "Well? Are you going to help me stop them or what?"

"Right. This way."

* * *

><p>"I thought you said you had security here." Bruce hissed at Ollie as the clown henchmen passed them.<p>

"I did." Ollie snapped back. "It was supposed to alert me if someone entered the grounds."

"But obviously not if they flew a plane into your house." Bruce said dryly.

Ollie shot him a look. "Shouldn't we be figuring out how to get out of this?" He hissed.

"Already did. I'll need you to-"

Whatever Bruce was going to say had been cut off when Joker noticed him. "Why, Brucie!" He cried in delight. "Whatever is the Prince of Gotham doing here?" The clown ran over to him, threw an arm around his shoulders, and placed a gun at his head. "You're donating to the clown foundation aren't you?" Joker sneered.

"Of course." Bruce growled.

"Good man." Joker laughed loudly.

Bruce reached into his pocket to take out his money. He hated the clown pressing the gun against his head. He knew a total of eighteen ways to get out of his situation, but every single one could compromise his identity.

At least Richard was safe. Bruce made himself relax with that thought.

The relaxation was gone instantly when a figure suddenly fell from the roof and landed on Joker's shoulders.

"Robin!" Bruce cried.

Joker's arm was wrenched away and the gun was tossed aside. Robin kicked Joker at the base of the neck, sending the men falling to the ground. Bruce backed up in shock as Robin did a back flip away from the clown.

"Speedy!" Ollie shouted.

Arrows were raining down from above, knocking the guns out of the men's hands. Robin spun around, sending small ball-shaped pods at the thugs. The balls exploded, sending nets out and capturing the men.

"What do we have here?" Bulls-Eye sneered. "Speedy?"

"You bet." Speedy growled. He jumped down from his position in the skylight, landing before his own clown nemesis. He fired and so did Bulls-Eve. A hail of bullets and arrows flew back and forth. Frenzied party goers fled, screaming their heads off.

Robin's bird-a-rangs were flying now too. He was running after the Joker who was shooting madly at him, both regular bullets and ones of his crazy concoctions.

"Speedy, trade ya!" The eight year old cried. Without warning, Robin used him as a spring board. Feet dug into his back and a moment later the small body was flying through the air before slamming into Bulls-Eye's face.

Roy only had a moment to be amazed at the feat before he had to spin to shoot at Joker. Behind him he heard Bulls-Eye cry out in pain and Robin sneering some stupid remark at him.

"I think it's time to blow this." Joker said. He ran for the plane. Roy ran right after him, shooting the whole time. Somehow the clown managed to avoid all his shots! Roy didn't understand it. He was worse than Bulls-Eye!

Joker was in the cockpit now. "And when I say blow this, I mean it literally." Joker cackled. Too late did Roy realize that it wasn't just a normal plane. There were guns, _big_ guns, on the front.

"Robin! Move!" Roy shouted.

It was too late. Joker had sent off a round of bullets.

Just then a black figure swept in, grabbing Bulls-Eye and Robin and swinging them to safety.

A moment later a green arrow had shot its way onto the plane, electricity shooting through it. Joker screamed in pain. The circuit board of the plane erupted in a shower of sparks.

"Stay." Batman hissed at Robin. Then he ran off towards the Joker. As soon as the electricity had died out Batman dragged him out of the plane. He was unconscious but Batman cuffed him anyway.

Roy gave Green Arrow a dirty look. "How come _I_ don't get those types of arrows?" He demanded.

"When you're older." His mentor said dismissively. Roy ground his teeth, but then he realized Ollie was smiling. And not just his usual smile. A _proud_ smile.

There was a soft grunt from the corner of the room. Robin gave a shriek as Bulls-Eye stirred awake. Without thinking he lashed out. A swift upper kick and the clown was knocked three feet away, unconscious yet again.

Robin blushed and giggled nervously. "Sorry." He whispered. But then a smile lit up his face. He did two backflips and a handspring to land beside Batman. "Did you _see_ us?" Robin asked. He was jumping up in down in excitement. "Did you? Did you? Did you see the way I surprised him? I jumped from the ceiling and I took him down and Speedy was shooting off arrows everywhere and then I took down Bulls-Eye and-"

"I know." Batman said. He smiled slightly at his son. "Are you hurt?" He knelt, inspecting him.

"No." Robin said cheerfully. He bounded over to Roy now. "Did you _see_ me?" He demanded, grabbing Roy's arm. "Did you?"

"I did." Roy chuckled and ran his hands through Dick's hair, purposefully messing it up.

Dick grinned at him. "You were really cool." He said seriously.

Roy grinned from ear to ear. "You were too kid."

Dick's smile was blinding.

Suddenly Batman was there, scooping Robin into his arms. "The police are here. You can deal with them." He said to Green Arrow. He nodded at the two and swung away with Robin waving back at them over his shoulder.

Roy lifted a hand to wave goodbye but they were already gone.

"So… you found out about Batman and Robin." Ollie said. His words filled with mirth. "What do you think?"

"He's ok." Roy said. He was trying to be gruff but his smile gave him away and Ollie chuckled.

* * *

><p>Once the police had taken care of things they'd returned to being Ollie and Roy to take care of the remaining guests. Once those people were gone that finally meant they could relax. They went to the study only to find Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson waiting for them.<p>

"I thought you'd already left." Ollie said as he raised a brow.

Bruce shrugged. "He wouldn't leave yet." He gestured to Dick.

Dick smiled. He went to Roy's side, grasping the older boy's hand. "You have to finish teaching me the constellations." Dick said. He dragged Roy to the window seat without waiting for a response.

Roy chuckled. "Ok. Tell me what you remember."

"Well, that one's Batman, and that's Cheetah, and the one over there is the Flash's symbol…"

The two men watched in content silence as Dick and Roy talked of the stars. Soon Dick had found his way into Roy's lap, cuddling against him. He lazily pointed out constellations and argued with Roy about their names. And Roy in return found himself rubbing the boy's back and joking with him the whole time.

"Roy?" Dick asked suddenly. "Do you want to hang out sometime?"

"We're doing that right now."

"Another time." Dick insisted. His eyes met Roy's. "We could hang out with Wally. It'd be fun." The words were unspoken, but the hopeful 'please?' at the end was there.

"That sounds great, kid."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The end. I hope this story lived up to your expectations. Sorry for not updating very quickly. The next story will be up sooner and it will feature Roy, Wally, and Dick! **

**Thank you for reading!**


	11. Boys and Hospitals

**A/N: Here is the promised story with Roy, Dick, and Wally!**

**Dick is 10, Wally is 12, and Roy is 15 in this story. I made them a little older than they usually are in my stories because I thought it fit better.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of this.**

* * *

><p>He was dead.<p>

It was simple as that. Green Arrow- scratch that- _Batman_ would have his head after this.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap!" Roy, or rather Speedy, exclaimed as he bent over Robin's figure. "Robin? Robin, can you hear me?"

"I hear you Roy." The younger boy winced. "Stop screaming."

"Are you ok? You fell really hard." Wally said as he knelt beside his friend. Slowly they helped him sit up. Dick winced as his vision swam. "That didn't sound good." Wally looked at Roy. "That wasn't good, right? What are we going to do?"

"Robin, what hurts?" Roy asked.

"My head." Robin mumbled. He leaned weakly against Wally. "And my arms. And my ankle really hurts. I think I sprained it."

Speedy took a deep breath and tried to access the situation.

First of all, he wasn't even supposed to be out on patrol and especially not with Wally and Dick. They'd only been over because Batman and Flash were on a Justice League mission. Green Arrow was supposed to be watching all three, but then he'd also been called away, so it was just the three of them. Speedy had been coerced into going on patrol with the two younger boys.

And now the ten year old Robin was hurt. His arms had taken a large blow when he'd fallen head over heels and skidded down the pavement. They were scraped and cut up with gravel sticking to them. His ankle was twisted and it seemed he had a concussion as well.

Robin winced again. "I think I bruised a rib." He added.

Great. Batman was going to kill them.

"What are we going to do?" Wally asked again. Both kids turned their eyes on Speedy. He was the eldest. Surely he would know what to do.

Roy blurted out the first thing he could think of. "We'll go to the ER."

He didn't think about what he said and didn't give the others the chance to think. He scooped the tiny Robin into his arms and started jogging towards the first hospital he knew of. Wally sped along beside him, vibrating nervously the whole time.

When the three burst through the doors of the previously quiet ER, no one even moved. They just stared in shock.

Dick turned his head away from the staring eyes of the doctors and nurses and buried it into Roy's shoulder.

"Robin got hurt." Wally blurted out. "Can you help?"

* * *

><p>"I can sign for him." Roy, or rather Speedy, repeated for the fifth time.<p>

The exasperated doctor shook his head. "Speedy, as much as we'd like that, we can't allow you to do so. He needs parental permission."

"Parent or _guardian_ permission." Speedy corrected. "I'm his guardian."

"You're only fifteen, son. You're a minor as well. We can't allow that. It's the law."

"Oh come on!" Roy cried in frustration. He gestured to the child sitting on the medical table. "Can't you just treat him? We're keeping you safe for crying out loud!"

Robin tried to help the cause by giving the doctor his best puppy dog eyes. He even let his lower lip tremble as he cradled his arm.

"I'm sorry." The doctor said with a wince. "We can't do it."

"It's ok, Speedy." Robin spoke up bravely. "It's not so bad. I can go back home."

"Nu-uh!" Wally exclaimed. "You have a concussion, twisted ankle, and a bunch of other stuff. You aren't allowed to go until they make you better."

Robin pouted. "But they won't help me."

Roy turned to the doctor again, hoping this time that he would relent. He looked like he wanted to, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry." He said. "Is there someone else you could call if your mentors are busy?"

Speedy looked at Robin. "What about A?"

"He's busy." Robin said softly. His eyes were about to fill with tears.

Wally hugged his friend. "Flash put the League's number in my speed dial." He said to Roy. He handed his communicator over. "Maybe they can help."

Roy made a face. He didn't want to call the League. Then their mentors would find out and they'd get in even more trouble. But, unfortunately, they had no choice. So Speedy dialed the Watch Tower.

"Kid Flash?" It was Superman on the other end of the communicator.

"Actually it's Speedy." Roy said slowly. "Uh… we had a mishap and need someone to sign papers for Robin."

He could practically hear Superman's frown. "A mishap?" He said slowly.

"Yea… see, Robin is hurt and-"

"What happened?" At the mention of Robin being hurt Superman's whole demeanor changed. That seemed to happen whenever the little bird was injured. Everyone got worried.

"He fell. Listen, we're in the ER but they won't let me sign papers for him cause' I'm a _minor_." Roy sneered the word. He heard Robin give a small giggle and he felt a bit better.

"I'm on my way."

Roy closed the communicator and handed it back to Kid Flash. "Ok. Someone's coming so can you, you know, _help him?"_

"We can't until the guardian arrives."

Wally groaned. "Oh come on!" He gestured to his small friend. Dick's face was white and his lips were pressed together tightly.

Roy glared daggers at the doctor before climbing up on the bed with his two friends. He pulled Robin into his lap and the boy immediately latched onto him. Roy rubbed his back slowly. "Is it that bad, Robin?" He asked softly.

The boy shook his head. "I've had worse… but A usually fixes them by now." He winced as he curled up closer to Roy. "I think I got bruises on the bruises from last patrol." He moaned.

They knew he was trying to joke but neither Wally nor Roy laughed.

"Batman is so going to kill you." Wally said firmly to the doctor.

Roy grinned at the Doctor's sudden worried look. He shot Wally a smirk. "Yea, you know how he gets when Robin is hurt."

"Remember that time that murder tried to hurt Robin?" Wally asked, going along with the story immediately.

"I remember. He locked him in the batcave for weeks and tortured him." Roy added with growing glee. The doctor now looked positively terrified.

"He fed the bats his ears." Robin added softly.

His friends snickered now as the Doctor backed up…straight into the man of steel.

The doctor gave a yelp and spun around. "Oh- oh… Superman!" He exclaimed with clear relief.

Superman eyed the doctor. "Speedy said there are papers for me to sign."

"I-I'll get those right away Mr. Superman sir!" The flustered doctor hurried away.

Superman sighed as he went into the room. "What did you boys do this time?" he demanded.

"We just went on patrol." Kid Flash said quickly. "It was all going good-"

"-but then Kid Flash here dared Robin to jump off the building-"

At Superman's terrified expression Kid Flash spoke up. "It was only one floor!" He exclaimed. "I thought he wouldn't do it!"

"But then he'd jumped and he kind of skidded because I tried to slow him down." Speedy finished. "And so I took him here."

Superman nodded again. He went to Robin and the little boy flashed him a grin. "How are you?"

"M'ok Uncle Kal." The boy mumbled sleepily.

The Doctor was back with the papers which Superman quickly scrawled his name across. The Doctor quickly ushered the three heroes out so he and the nurses could attend to Robin's scrapes.

* * *

><p>Batman's forehead creased in anger when he saw the news. Flash, sitting beside him in the Javalin, just shook his head. "They always get into trouble don't they?" He muttered.<p>

On screen a woman was reporting outside of Saint Jude's hospital. "-sighted were Speedy, Kid Flash, and Robin. It has been confirmed that Robin, the Batman's partner in Gotham City, was in fact the one who was brought in for treatment. The staff would not tell us what his injuries are but they assured us that they are not life threatening. We will stay posted to-"

Batman put the footage on mute. His face was drawn tight. He didn't know whether to be angry or worried. After all, the hospital could be lying about Robin's condition. He decided he'd be worried until he knew better. Then he'd be angry.

"I thought Queen was supposed to be watching them." Batman muttered. Deftly he steered the Javilin towards Star City.

"I'll call him." Flash offered. He linked up to the other man's communicator. "Hey, Ollie, Did you see the news?"

"No. What's up?"

Flash snorted. "Guess."

"What did they do?" The other man sighed.

"I don't know, but apparently they're at a hospital and Robin is hurt."

"Great." Green Arrow muttered. "I'll meet you guys there."

"Where were you?" Batman demanded.

"I got sent on a mission. I _told_ Roy to keep them home."

Batman gave a small grunt.

"News just said that Superman was there." Flash said as he checked the TV again.

Batman's mouth pressed into an even firmer line. If they had to call Superman that wasn't good. He bit back his anger quickly. He could be angry _after_ he knew that Richard was safe.

"We'll be there in fifteen minutes." Batman said.

"And it looks like Wonder Woman just arrived too." Flash said. "And Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, and… _geeze_! What did the kids _do?_"

Batman gritted his teeth. "Make that five minutes." He muttered, putting his full weight on the gas.

* * *

><p>The hospital staff nearly fainted when Batman, Flash, and Green Arrow arrived. Batman ignored them and walked straight to the room where they were keeping his son.<p>

"Batman!" The delighted cry came as he entered. Batman quickly glanced over the boy. He seemed fine. There were bandages on his arms and legs, ice on his head and a brace on his ankle. But he was smiling and eating ice cream so that was good.

"Are you ok?" Batman asked anyway.

"Yea, I'm ok now." Robin said.

"He almost fainted!" Kid Flash piped up.

Robin shot his friend a look. "But that was only cause' they wouldn't help me!" He cried indignantly.

Batman's gaze shifted to the doctor and nurse in the room. They'd frozen still as soon as he'd entered. "Why didn't you help him?" He demanded.

The doctor had to gulp a few times before he was able to whisper out. "He's a minor."

"You're allowed to assume permission in any dire circumstance." Batman snapped. "In our line of work any injury could be that."

"R-right B-batman sir. We'll do that next time."

"Good. Leave."

The doctor and nurse practically ran from the room. Robin was giggling happily and sending his two friends an amused look. "He thought you were going to feed his ears to the bats!" Robin laughed and Roy and Wally joined in.

"Robin, you know perfectly well that we only feed them eyes." Robin continued to laugh after Batman's deadpanned statement, but Roy and Wally quickly hushed.

"What happened?" Flash asked the kids.

When none of the boys said anything Superman spoke up. "It seems Kid Flash dared Robin to jump off a building."

"It was only one story." Robin said softly.

Batman's glare fell on him angrily. He didn't even have to say anything. The children's faces flushed in embarrassment.

"That was stupid." Flash said.

"On all parts." Green Arrow added. "Speedy, you _know_ you weren't allowed out on patrol."

"That's their fault!" He exclaimed, pointing at the younger boys. "They wouldn't stop about it and then they said they were going to sneak out and go anyway."

"You shouldn't have taken them out." Green Arrow said firmly,

"And," Batman added, "you two both knew you weren't allowed out either. If there had been a villain on the loose, you could have been killed."

"Sorry." Wally whispered.

"You're all grounded." Batman said. His glare fell on each of the boys.

"For how long?" Speedy asked.

"Until I say so." Batman growled. No one even questioned how Batman was grounding all the boys instead of just his own child. "None of you are allowed on patrol for a week."

"A week!" Robin exclaimed.

"Oh come on!" Kid Flash cried.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "It could be longer." Batman warned and they fell silent once more. Batman nodded and turned to the older heroes. "Superman, Wonder Woman, I trust you can take care of the press. Green Lantern, if you can tell the other heroes in the lobby that everything is fine, that'd be good. Green Arrow, Flash, get them into the ship. We'll take them home. I'll take care of the doctors."

"Are you really going to feed the bats their eyes?" Wally asked.

Batman smirked. "Maybe."

* * *

><p>The heroes, now just their regular selves, stood in the doorway as they watched their children sleeping. They'd taken them back to Queen's house and put them to bed. After all the excitement even the fifteen year old Speedy was tired. They'd fallen asleep in a jumble on his bed. Dick was clinging to Roy's arm. Roy's arm was wrapped around Wally, on his other side. Wally was sprawled across the bed, one leg digging into Roy's side and the other hanging off the side of the bed.<p>

"They look content." Barry said with a smile. "Like little angels."

"Don't be deceived." Bruce grumbled.

Ollie sighed. "Are you really that upset about it?" He asked. "I mean, sure, the news got wind of it, but Clark cleared that up for us. And he didn't tell them how he got hurt or anything."

"I don't like being on the news." He grumbled again.

Barry rolled his eyes. "You're more upset that Dick was hurt."

"Your kid was the one who dared him." Bruce reminded him.

"He didn't push him off, Bruce! Give the kid some slack."

Bruce just glared at him.

Ollie rolled his eyes at the two. "He'll be fine, Bruce."

Bruce snorted lightly. "I'm just worried about this becoming a habit."

"What makes you think something like this will happen again?"

Flash and Bruce gave Ollie a look. "How could it _not_?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I didn't realize how fun it was to write these three together until I tried! **

**So what is everyone's request for next time? Should it be more stories with the three, ones with the League, or ones with Daddy!Bats? Genra suggestions? **

**Thanks for reading! I look forward to reading your reviews... which I hope you will leave.**

**Also, some shameless self advertizing, I wrote another YJ story called "Run For Your Life". Please read it! It's more Batman and Robin issues and soon will deal with the team as well.**


	12. My Little Robin

**A/N: So, just about everyone requested Daddy Bats. So... enjoy! **

**I have been having some intense writers block, so if it takes awhile to update, don't be scared. It will happen... it may just take awhile. I'm in that "everything I write is crap" stage. So... meh.**

**Thank to everyone for reading and reviewing! It means a lot to me and makes my day every time. And it makes me inspired to get OUT of this stupid writers block.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>Dick gave a soft sob as Alfred finished stitching up the long cuts on his back. He clutched Bruce's hand harder. Bruce stroked his hair softly.<p>

"I'm almost done, Master Dick." Alfred said gently.

Dick just whimpered.

"You're doing good." Bruce said. He was too. Dick had been hurt terribly. Alfred had been working on stitching him up and other fixes for almost half an hour now. The boy had barely cried the whole time. Bruce knew from experience that he had to be hurting though. He was proud of the boy for being so strong.

"There. All finished." Alfred said. Dick relaxed in relief.

"You did good." Bruce said again. He rubbed the boy's arms. "You did very good, Dickey."

Dick gave a small nod. He curled up on the examination table, closing his eyes. Bruce sighed and stroked his hair once more. The poor boy…

"Alright, Master Bruce, it is your turn now." Alfred said. Bruce had been hurt almost as bad as Dick. He hadn't patched himself up at all though. Instead he'd opted to stand by Dick and comfort him.

"Oh. Right." Bruce stripped out of his Batman costume and let Alfred stitch up his wounds and bind the cuts and scrapes.

He glanced again at the boy on the table. He'd fallen asleep already.

"I'm going to kill Two Face." Bruce muttered as the boy winced in his sleep.

"You do that, sir." Alfred agreed in a monotone. Bruce wasn't sure if he really approved or not.

"I shouldn't have brought him."

"You didn't know Two Face would be there."

"I should have. I thought it was just a simple bank robbery. The police report didn't say Two Face was behind it. I should have known though." He winced slightly as Alfred bandaged another wound.

"Don't blame yourself, sir. Blame that maniac."

Bruce snorted. He already did that. He blamed Two Face, along with himself, for everything that had happened to Dick tonight. He'd like to break every single bone in his body. Instead he'd thrown him at the police, grabbed Robin, and ran. He'd just have to wait until Two Face broke out of prison again. _Then_ he could give him the punishment he deserved.

Dick gave a soft sob. Bruce's eyes shot to him, but the boy was still asleep.

"Perhaps it will be wise to leave the boy at home for awhile?" Alfred suggested.

"I know." Bruce grumbled. Dick wouldn't be going on patrol until he was well again.

Just as Alfred finished the last stitches on Bruce Dick shot up. He looked around frantically until his eyes settled on Bruce. He jumped off the table and hurried into Bruce's lap.

"Hey there, chum." Bruce said, trying to sound happy. "What's the matter?"

Dick said nothing. He just wrapped his arms around Bruce's neck and held on tight. Bruce glanced at Alfred before hugging the boy back carefully. "It's ok, Dickey." He crooned. "You're safe."

"Might I suggest the two of you get to bed?" Alfred asked. "Sleep would do you both well."

"Alright." Bruce agreed. Before he could stand Dick gave a shriek.

"No! Just stay here. Please." Dick begged. "Don't move yet."

Alfred and Bruce shared another look before Bruce agreed. "We'll be up shortly, Alfred."

The butler nodded and went upstairs. Bruce gently rocked Dick murmuring soft words. "It's ok, Dickey. You're safe. Joker is in jail. I'm here. You're fine."

Dick nodded slightly and curled closer to Bruce. This wasn't a good sign. Dick was usually talkative. He wasn't talking now. He hadn't even smiled.

Bruce didn't know how long they sat there. They both probably would have fallen asleep like that had his communicator not gone off. Bruce swore softly and grabbed it before Dick woke up.

"What?" He growled into the device.

"It's Superman. We need you now. Teleport up to the watch tower."

Bruce looked at his son. "I can't."

"I checked the news. You already retired for the night. You aren't busy."

"I am." Bruce growled.

"We need you. We need a hacker and you're the only one who can do that."

Bruce growled again. "Fine." He hissed.

"Teleport up to the watch tower."

"Is anyone staying behind?"

"Flash. He broke his legs, remember?"

Bruce stroked Dick's hair again. "Could he watch Robin?" He could leave him with Alfred, but he wanted to have the boy as close as possible. He could get back to the watch tower faster than getting back to the cave.

"He'd be delighted."

"Good." Bruce hung up. Carefully he put Dick on his chair. Dick stirred and just stared blearily at his father. Bruce grabbed his suit and called up to Alfred, letting him know what was going on. The next moment Alfred was back with a blanket, pajamas, and a stuffed elephant for the boy. Alfred helped the boy change, telling him that he was going to see Flash. Dick barely seemed to hear what he said. He just sleepily nodded and got into his footsie pajamas.

"Ready Dick?" Bruce asked softly. Dick nodded and held his arms up. Bruce winced again. Dick wasn't usually this quiet but he hardly ever acted so young. Bruce tucked the boy into his arms, wrapped him in the blanket, and gave him the stuffed elephant.

"Batman to watchtower. I'm ready." Bruce said.

They appeared in the space station a moment later. Dick pulled Batman's cape around him, shielding himself from the other's view. Bruce ignored this and went to the monitor womb.

"What is the emergency?" Batman demanded in one of his angriest voices, making the League jump in surprise.

Superman began to explain everything. Bruce only half listened. He was more focused on Dick. The boy was hiding behind his cape and he hadn't stopped trembling. Bruce stroked his hair. He wished there was something else he could do for the boy.

Superman finished the explanation and waited for questions. When none came he looked at Batman. "I thought you were bringing Robin."

"He's here." Batman pried the cape from Robin's grasp. Wonder Woman gasped when she saw the bandages all over him. Hawkgirl looked stunned. Those two had always been gushing over Dick, probably because of some maternal instinct.

"What happened?" Green Lantern asked.

"We went to investigate a bank robbery. If I'd known Two Face was there I wouldn't have brought him." Batman explained simply.

Dick looked at the heroes then buried himself back in Bruce's chest.

"Ok, Dick. I have to go now." Batman said.

Dick just shook his head.

"Come on, Dickey. Let go." He said in a kinder voice. Bruce didn't want to but he gently pried the boy from his chest.

"No! Don't go Daddy!" Dick sobbed.

Bruce froze. _Why the 'daddy'? _That was his biggest weakness. "I'm sorry. I have to." He said softly. He sent the League a desperate look over the boy's head. They were just staring, mouths open. No one made a move to tell him not to go.

"Daddy." Dick sobbed again.

"Shhh…I'll be back soon, Dickey." Batman promised. He stroked the boy's cheek. "I have a mission and then I'll be back. You'll be here with Uncle Flash."

"Uncle Flash?" Flash couldn't help but blurt out.

Bruce shot him a glare. "Come on, little bird." He was practically begging right now. He needed Dick to say it was ok. Otherwise he didn't think he'd have the heart to leave. "I'll be back soon."

"P-promise?" Dick stuttered.

"I promise."

Dick nodded slightly. Bruce gave a sigh of relief. He kissed the boy's head and gently handed him to Flash, who was in a wheel chair because of his two broken legs. Flash wrapped his arms around the boy but Dick didn't curl up to him. He stared at Batman pathetically.

"Don't touch his back." Batman growled at Flash. He turned and walked away before he could change his mind.

After a hesitant moment the League, minus Flash, followed. "_That_ is why I was busy." Batman snapped at Superman as they got into the jet. "We better finish this up quick."

And honestly, no one knew what to say to that. They felt guiltier than they'd ever felt before. Superman felt even worse. With his super-hearing he could hear Robin crying for Batman already.

"Shh… It's ok, Dick. Batman will be back soon. I promise." Flash was saying. He hugged the boy tightly. "Until then, you have me! Your Uncle Flash!" He paused a moment as the boy kept crying. "Does he call us all Uncle and Aunt?" He asked, trying to take the boy's mind off of the pain.

Dick nodded slightly. "Yea." He whispered. "You're Uncle Barry. There's Uncle Clark, Uncle J'onn, Uncle John, Auntie Diana, and Auntie Shyera and-and-" Dick shivered and immediately stopped talking.

Flash grinned at this. "I didn't know he loved us so much." Flash chuckled.

Sadly this had the adverse effect on Dick. He broke into sobs. "He doesn't!" Dick cried. "He doesn't love anyone! He doesn't love me."

"What? Of course he does!" Flash exclaimed.

"No he doesn't! He left!"

"He's coming back. Trust me. It wasn't his choice to go." Flash tried to explain. "He loves you more than anything in the world, Dick. If anything happened to you tonight he'd probably kill me."

"But he left." Dick whimpered.

"He'll be back soon." Flash said weakly. He tried to perk up. "Hey! How about we go get a snack. Ok? I'll let you eat whatever you want."

"Ok." Dick whispered. Flash wheeled his wheelchair as fast as he could to the cafeteria. Dick giggled a little at the speed. Flash gave a big sigh of relief. "Instead of a snack, how about we just take a ride through the station?" Flash suggested.

Dick nodded. Starting at the very top of the tower, Flash wheeled the chair as fast as he could through the winding halls. By the second floor down Dick was shrieking with laughter. It was good to hear him laugh again. Flash loved the kid. Seeing him in tears was _not_ what he wanted.

Three rides, five cookies, a glass of milk, and one bedtime story later, Dick was finally asleep. Flash had thought of leaving his side but was worried what would happen if he did. Dick seemed fine now, but he had been bad earlier. And Flash was a terrified of Batman right now, more than usual. If _anything_ happened to Dick Batman would have his head.

About an hour later Flash was asleep as well.

Then, fifteen minutes later, Dick started screaming. Flash jerked awake, staring at the boy on the bed. He was thrashing around, screaming in pain and begging for someone not to leave. "D-don't g-go!" The boy was sobbing, reaching his tiny arms up. "I'm s-s-sorry!"

"Dick! Dick, wake up." Flash shook him until the boy's eyes opened. "You were having a nightmare, kid. It's ok."

Dick stared at him in terror. "Wh-where's B-bruce?" He whimpered.

"He's on a mission. I'm sure he'll be back soon." Flash lied. He reached for Dick but he jerked away.

"I w-want B-Bruce." The boy sobbed softly.

"He'll be here soon. I promise." Flash tried again.

Dick barely heard him. He burst into tears. "I want Daddy!" He shrieked in a heart wrenching sob. Flash grabbed him, tucking him under his chin.

"Shhh… Shhh… It's ok. It's ok." Flash tried his best to consol the boy. Nothing seemed to work. Finally he just held the sobbing boy and began singing a lullaby. Eventually the boy cried himself to sleep. This time Flash decided to hold him instead of putting him in bed.

Fifteen minutes later the boy was screaming again. "Daddy!" He shrieked. He woke instantly, twisting out of Flash's arms. "Where's Daddy?"

"Bruce is still out on the mission-"

"I want Daddy!" Dick sobbed pathetically.

Flash couldn't stand it. "Come here." He said gently. He pulled the boy back into his lap and sped to the computer womb. "Let me see if I can get him, ok?"

Dick sniffed hopefully. Flash shot him a grin and grabbed a communicator from the table.

"Batman? Batman, come in…." There was just some static. "Um… please?" Flash tried again.

Dick grabbed the device from Flash's hands. "Daddy!" He cried into the communicator.

The next instant Batman's voice sounded. "Robin? Are you ok?" He asked. He grunted as he ducked under another punch. Just how many of these robots did they have protecting the stupid software?

"Daddy, come back." Robin sobbed.

"I'm working on it." Batman assured him. He kicked one out of the way, spun, and threw a batarang at another. "Are you being good for Flash?"

"I want you to come back." Robin said. "I want you."

"I promise I'll be there soon."

Robin sobbed and Batman felt his heart break. "I'm s-s-scared." Robin whimpered. "I k-keep having n-nightmares."

"They're just dreams, Robin." Batman crooned. He was glad these were just robots he was fighting. If they were humans they'd be laughing at him.

"I want you."

"I'll be back sooner than you know." Batman promised. "Try to go to sleep. I'll be there when you wake up."

"O-ok."

"Alright. Bye, Robin."

"Bye D-daddy. I love you."

Batman smiled. "I love you too, Robin."

He turned off his comlink. That was it. They were finishing this now. "Superman!" He called. The man flew over. "Cover me!" He knelt beside one of the fallen robots whose head he hadn't snapped off. In their neck was the chip for the computers. If he could hack into it he may be able to shut them all off at once.

Batman hissed as a laser shot into his arm. "I said cover me!" He cried.

"I'm on it." Wonder Woman jumped behind him, covering his other side.

"Were you talking to Robin?" Superman asked, a bit confused. The boy wasn't here, was he?  
>"He's having nightmares. Flash is in over his head." Batman sighed. Damn it. This computer was damaged. He moved to the next one.<p>

"Why is it so bad?"

Batman wanted to throw kryptonite at him. "He was nearly attacked by Two Face, nearly torn apart by guard dogs, and was _shot_ at while Two Face was trying to kill me. He's only eight. Why do you _think_ it's so bad?"

Superman looked abashed. "I just meant-" Superman punched through another robot's head. "-that he's dealt with other stuff-" Laser eyes. "-so what make this so bad?"

"Because." Batman growled. There. He'd finally gotten into the system. Now he just needed to figure out how to shut these things down.

There was a loud explosion to their left. "Listen," Superman said, "I'm sorry."

"You should be."

"I didn't want to take him away from you."

"You shouldn't have."

Superman groaned. Why did Bruce always need to sound right? "We kind of needed you right now."

"I know." There! He'd gotten it. Around them the robots were dropping like flies. Batman stood. "There. We're done. Blow up the base and let's go."

"Yea,yea, you need to get back to Robin." Superman grumbled.

"You're lucky I don't shove the kryptonite up your-"

"Was Robin ok?" Shayera flew to their sides. She didn't bother asking if _they_ were ok, just if Robin was. Everyone had heard the odd conversation going on while Batman was fighting.

"He's having nightmares." Batman said. "He _isn't_ ok which is why we're going- _now._"

Superman rolled his eyes and flew off with J'onn to destroy the generator which would trigger a reaction and destroy the labs. The rest hurried to the ship.

"I'm so sorry, Bruce." Diana said softly. "We didn't want to make him leave you."

Batman chose to ignore them all.

* * *

><p>Finally they arrived back at the space station. Batman hurried to the monitor womb. Flash appeared a few seconds later. He looked nervous. Batman's eyes narrowed. "Where is he?" He demanded.<p>

"Uh… good question…." Flash chuckled nervously.

"What do you mean?" Batman's voice dropped an octave and his glare intensified.

Flash gulped. "I- well- after you talked with him he went back to sleep." He swallowed hard. The glare was still on him. "But he had another nightmare and woke up. When you weren't there he ran and I haven't exactly found him yet."

Batman glare intensified to a level usually reserved for the Joker only. Flash was trying his hardest not to pee his pants. Finally Batman looked away, stalking off. Flash deflated. That was scary. He'd never seen Batman so angry. He actually felt _bad_ for the criminals of Gotham. God help them the day one decided to hurt Robin.

"Isn't he in a good mood?" Flash tried to be cheerful.

The women gave each other a look. "What happened?" They asked.

"He woke up and Batman wasn't there. I think he was convinced he'd died since Batman had said he'd be there when he woke up. I tried to explain but he already ran off." Flash gestured to his wheelchair. "And this kind of limits where I can go."

"It isn't your fault." John said.

A moment later everyone heard the gleeful cry of "Daddy!" being shouted down the hall.

"Shhh… It's ok, Dickey. I'm here." Bruce murmured into Dick's hair. The boy had latched onto him, sobbing for all his worth. "Everything is ok. I've got you."

"I thought you were dead." Dick cried. "You weren't there!"

"You just woke up too soon." Bruce said with a small smile.

Dick smiled back up at his father. "Don't go."

"I'm not. I'm not going to leave you, ever."

Dick nodded and climbed into Bruce's arms. "I love you Daddy." He whispered.

"I love you too, Dickey." He cradled the child in his arms. "I think it's time for bed now, ok?"

"Ok." Dick whispered. He didn't care where he went as long as Bruce kept holding him.

Bruce took him to his room and tucked the child into bed. He hated not wearing his costume at the Watch Tower but right now there wasn't another choice. He changed into a pair of sweats and climbed in beside his son. "Go to sleep, Dick. It's ok. I'm right here and I won't leave."

Dick nodded, curling up against him. It didn't take long before he'd fallen asleep. Bruce stroked the boy's face, smiling slightly.

No. He wasn't going to leave this boy. Ever.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed the Daddy Bats Fluff. More stories will be coming later! Please review. They definately help. :)**

**Thank you for reading and for all my wonderful reviewers!**


	13. Batman's Bear

**A/N: Over 200 reviews! Thank you everyone! Because of this I decided to update early. So... have some fluff!**

**I decided to try my hand at one of those 'five times' stories. Because Batbear and Robin Bear are my creations that I absolutely love writing about, I thought I'd write about them. I think they're also everyone's favorites of what I've written. **

**So this is five times with Batman's teddybear.**

**Be prepared for a shameful amount of Fluff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Batbear and Robin Bear**.

* * *

><p>Robin was as silent as he could be. There was an odd noise coming from Batman's chair. A soft woosh of air then a deep sighing sound.<p>

Robin stared intently at the back of the chair. He could see Batman's cowl poking up above the top of the seat and his cape and legs were visible beneath it. Maybe the chair was broken? Maybe that was why there were those odd noises coming from it.

"Batman?" Robin whispered. There was no response.

Slowly, Robin crept towards the chair. Maybe Batman had been replaced by a robot while he was upstairs! Robin's breath caught for a second. Then he shook his head. That was silly. Robots didn't make sighs, they beeped. Maybe it was an alien then?

"Batman?" Robin whispered again. Again there was no reply.

Taking a deep breath, Robin leapt towards Batman's chair.

There was no alien or robot. It was just Batman. He was sleeping. His head had lulled to the side and he was snoring softly. Robin smiled. "I _told_ you that you had to sleep!" He teased softly. Then he was running upstairs.

He appeared a moment later, teddy bear and blanket in hand. Carefully he tucked the blanket around his sleeping father. Then, lovingly, he placed the bear in his father's arms. "Happy dreams, Batman." Robin whispered.

He snuck away to another part of the cave, cleaning up after the night's work. Usually Batman would have done that, but he must have been tired. Dick remembered Alfred complaining that Bruce hadn't slept in four days. He didn't know how Bruce did it. He couldn't even stay up past six o'clock!

"Superman to Batman. Come in." A voice said from the computer

Robin frowned. That was the Justice League's number on the screen. He looked at his sleeping father and crossed his arms. Well his daddy was sleeping! The League could wait.

But then the computer started this horrible buzzing noise. Robin ran to turn it off so Batman wouldn't wake up. When he pressed the button Superman's head filled the screen.

"Robin? Where is Batman?" Superman asked.

"He's busy." Robin said firmly. He crossed his arms again and tried to look menacing.

Superman just raised an eyebrow. "Tell him it's urgent League Business."

"He's _busy_." Robin repeated. "What's urgent?"

Superman sighed. Robin could be just as stubborn as his mentor. "We've found information about a heist. We wanted his help."

"Ask someone else." Robin ordered. He hoped down from the seat and scampered out of the cave.

As soon as Robin had moved from view, Superman's eyebrows flew up. Was that _Batman_? He was… sleeping?

Superman's eyes focused and a smile spread across his face. "Is that a _Robin_ bear?"

* * *

><p>It wasn't often that Batman was scared, but now was definitely one of those times. Robin, his little bird, had been hurt. Not just slightly hurt either. Robin had been nearly beaten to death by Two Face.<p>

That was nearly two nights ago though and the boy still hadn't woken up. The moment Batman had gotten him out of there he'd brought him to the Watch Tower. They were doing everything in their power to help him, yet the boy still was asleep. He was covered in bruises and cuts. There was a large bandage around his chest and a cast on his arm. His ankle had been twisted. A bright purple bruise was forming on his neck.

For the millionth time Batman reached out to stroke his son's hair. The boy didn't even flinch. Batman did however when he saw the cut that ran from the top of Robin's head to his eyebrows.

"Robin…." Batman whispered softly.

He pulled his hands back and let his head drop into them. He was torn between intense anger and self loathing. On one hand he wanted nothing more than to kill Two Face for what he had done. He hadn't even been able to put him in a body cast! On the other hand, he hated himself. After all, it was his fault that Robin had been hurt. He'd been the one to take him out; he'd trained him; he hadn't protected him.

Batman groaned again. That's all he had thought of for the past two days.

"Bruce." He didn't even look up when Diana and Clark came into the room. "Bruce, you need to move!" Clark exclaimed. Bruce hadn't moved from that seat since they'd brought Dick in.

"I'm fine."

"You need to sleep."

"I'm fine." Bruce insisted again.

"When did you eat last?" Diana tried.  
>Batman shrugged. What did it matter?<p>

"Bruce, please." Clark begged. "We will be here with him. It'll be ok. Just go eat and get some rest!"

"I'm fine." He repeated again.

Suddenly his vision of his son was obscured as Clark stepped in front of him. "You need to." He said sternly. "Alfred told us that you haven't slept or eaten in days."

Batman just glared at him.

"If you don't I will make you." Superman challenged.

Bruce just snorted. "I'd like to see you try."

"Do not tempt me, Bruce." Superman snarled. "I know you're worried, but he will be fine. He won't wake up for hours if he even does today."

"We'll be with him and I'll have Flash alert you the second anything changes." Diana added. "Please Bruce. What good will you be to him if you can't even take care of yourself?"

That was what finally made him agree. He didn't want to, but he slowly dragged himself from the chair. Carefully he pressed a kiss on his son's forehead. Then, even slower, he went towards his room.

When he got in he immediately sunk onto the bed. He pulled his cowl off and tossed it across the room, followed shortly by his belt and shoes.

He tried to lie down. He tried to sleep. But he just couldn't. His mind was racing with worry for his little boy.

In irritation he got up and grabbed the suitcase Alfred had brought up for him. Maybe he'd been kind enough to pack sleeping pills.

Instead, Bruce found something even better. Alfred had packed his teddy bear.

Now Bruce cradled the Bear in his arms. His hand absently traced the "R" on its chest. He remembered Dick showing him off. He'd been so proud of the lopsided mask and the tiny utility belt.

Dick had also told him that he'd put a heart in the bear.

_"Alfred had the idea!" Dick had told him. "You put a heart inside, so he'll love you forever. But it was my idea to add the rest of the words." _

_He'd pulled out a tiny piece of paper to show Bruce. "See? They're just like these. You write words on them and then you put them in the bear so he'll be that way."_

_"What did you write on the papers for my bear?" Bruce had asked. He'd only been joking at the time._

_Dick had smiled though. "I said he gives good hugs, like me. And he is a really good listener. Even if you don't want to say stuff out loud, he'll know. He's really nice. I made him really smart too. He's an acrobat…" Dick giggled slightly, "He's really funny, so if you need to be cheered up he can help."_

_Bruce had grinned and ruffled Dick's hair. "He sounds a lot like a certain bird I know."_

_Dick giggled. "He is! That's the best part. I put a picture of me in there. That way I'll always be with you."_

Now Bruce hugged the bear tight. He didn't care what anyone thought or about keeping his Batman persona up. Right now he just wanted his son. For now he'd have to go with the next best thing.

* * *

><p>Bruce sighed as he walked into his room. It had been a long night. He hated when the villains took hostages. It took forever to do anything then.<p>

Bruce stretched and gave a loud yawn. Right now it was all over and he could sleep. He glanced at the clock. He had four hours before he had to wake up. Great.

He lay in bed, but despite how tired he was, he couldn't sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, his mind on overdrive. He wanted to sleep, but for some reason he just couldn't. The clocked slowly ticked away the hours and he closed his eyes with a groan.

Finally he threw the covers off his bed and stood up. Why in the world couldn't he sleep? He felt like something was wrong, like he was missing something. But what? He'd done all his work, he'd put away the villains for the night, he'd tucked Dick into bed with Batbear….

Suddenly he knew what was missing.

His eyes went to his dresser. Usually Robin Bear would be sitting on top of it. He never actually meant to sleep with the bear, but it happened from time to time. Even when he didn't though, he felt oddly reassured by its presence.

Now it was gone. For some reason this made his chest tighten.

He tried to remember where he'd left it. He didn't remember taking it anywhere. He always left it right there.

Quickly he left his room. The desire to find his bear was overwhelming, even though he didn't know quite why.

Going from room to room he eventually found his way down into the batcave.

And there was his Robin bear. It was sitting next to the costume racks. Half of Robin's real costume was draped over it. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. That's what had happened. Dick had decided to play dress up again. That was all.

Right now Robin Bear was wearing Robin's tunic, nearly four sizes too big. His yellow cape was draped over its shoulders and Robin's mask hung around its neck, too big for the bear's face.

Bruce smiled as he pulled the bear from the tangled mass of clothes. He'd have to talk with the boy about putting away his things later. For now he had his bear though, so everything was alright.

He went back to his room and placed the bear back on his dresser. After a moment of hesitation, he took it back, pulling it into his arms.

* * *

><p>Robin couldn't sleep. He was a little ball of energy that refused to be silenced. He bounced around the Watch Tower, giggling the whole while. It was nearly four in the morning. Most normal people were sound asleep. But, then again, Batman and Robin weren't exactly normal.<p>

The Justice League had at first attempted to help. They'd tried to tire the boy out with sparing matches. Later they'd tried to bore him to sleep with analytics. It hadn't worked. Finally, deciding it was Batman's problem, they'd left to go to bed.

That had been two hours ago. Robin hadn't tired at all since then.

"Robin, go to bed." Batman growled.

"But I'm not _tired_." The boy whined.

"I don't care."

Robin sighed deeply. "Just a little bit longer?" He asked hopefully.

"No. You need to sleep."

"But I won't sleep. I'll just be lying there staring at the ceiling. Then I'll start thinking about stuff and what I want to do and then I'll never get to sleep because I'll be thinking so hard and planning and stuff and eventually I'll have to get up and do something because I'll just get so bored and-"

Batman cut him off with a hissed, "Robin."

"Yea?"

Batman gave a deep sigh. He was starting to get tired himself. "Go get ready for bed. Then you can come out and we'll do something together, ok?"

"Ok!" Dick agreed excitedly. He ran off and appeared not ten minutes later. He was now clad in his blue superman pajamas, which Batman detested, and had Batbear in one arm, Robin Bear in the other.

"What are we going to do?" Dick demanded.

"How about a story?" Batman was willing to do anything to get the kid to sit still.

"Ok!" Dick eagerly followed his mentor into the living room. Bruce sat on the couch and Dick snuggled under his arm. "Here." He handed Robin Bear over to Batman. Deftly he tucked it under his other arm.

"Ok, what story do you want to hear?" Bruce asked.

Robin thought for a long moment. "How about the one with Poison Ivy? When she attacked the mayor with those plants that made him purple?"

Batman nodded in agreement.

"And do the voices."

He opened his mouth to protest. He wasn't going to try to imitate Poison Ivy _here_. What if the Justice League walked in while he was making the silly noise? But then again, he just wanted to get Robin to bed, so he agreed.

Five minutes into the story Dick had snuggled up close against him. BatBear was clutched in his arms and his head began to lull against Bruce's chest. Ten minutes into the story his eyes had closed. Fifteen minutes and he was sound asleep.

Bruce finally relaxed. He started to move so he could put them to bed. "What happened next?" Dick's sleepy voice asked.

"Go back to bed, Robin." He murmured.

"mmmhmmm."

Bruce sighed. Moving was out of the question. So he just leaned back in his seat and pulled his Robins closer. He could sleep here.

The next morning he woke to a flashing of lights. Batman hissed and didn't bother opening his eyes. "Kent I swear…" He hissed.

"What? It's cute."

"I'm going to find that camera and shove it up your-"

"Shhh, Bruce. You wouldn't want to wake him." Clark laughed.

Batman growled. "Go away."

Clark chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of the photos." He started to walk away and only then did Batman relax.

At least until he heard Flash's voice. "He has a _Robin Bear?"_

* * *

><p>"Daddy?" A soft voice called. This was followed by a knock on his door.<p>

Bruce rolled over and said something which he supposed was to say 'come in'. He forced his eyes open as Dick came to stand beside the bed. "Daddy?" Dick whispered again.

"What is it?" Bruce wished he sounded more comforting but he was just so tired.

"I had a bad dream." Dick whispered.

"Hmm…" Bruce sat up slowly. He drew Dick into his arms. "What was it about?"

Dick was silent a moment. "Are… would…. You wouldn't get rid of me would you?" He asked finally.

Bruce frowned deeply. "Of course not, Dickey."

"Even if I messed up? You wouldn't get rid of me?"

"I would never get rid of you." Bruce promised. "What happened in your dream?"

Dick's silence seemed to stretch out forever. "I messed up as Robin." He whispered softly. "I let the Joker get away and you were really _really_ angry. You were so angry that you said I wasn't allowed to be Robin anymore." Dick's voice was filled with mucus. "And then when we got back home you said I wasn't allowed to be your son anymore either."

"Dick…." He clutched the child tightly to him as the boy cried. "Dickey, that would never happen." He promised. "Nothing could make me leave you like that. It wouldn't matter what you did."

"But-but what if- if…" Dick sobbed loudly.

"Nothing." Bruce repeated. He kissed the top of Dick's head and began to rub circles on his back. "It's ok, Dickey. It's ok."

"I don't want to leave."

"And you aren't going to." Bruce promised.

"What if you don't want Robin anymore?" Dick demanded. "_Do_ you want me? What if you decide that you don't need a Robin? What if-"

Bruce hushed the child. He reached across his bed and pulled the teddybear out of his nightstand. "Dickey, do you see this?" He asked softly. The boy nodded weakly. "What is it?"

"Robin Bear." Dick whispered.

"That's right. Do you know why I have Robin Bear with me?"

Dick shook his head.

"It's because _you_ made it for me." Bruce said. "You gave it to me. He helps keep the nightmares away, like you said. But it's more than that." Bruce tiled Dick's head up so he was looking at him. "He's loyal. He's kind. He makes me laugh. He makes me smile. He's nice, and happy, and he's everything I could ever want in a son."

They both knew now that he wasn't talking about the bear.

"And," Bruce added softly, "I love him and I would never, ever, give him away."

Dick smiled up at Bruce, his blue eyes shining happily. "You mean it?" He whispered as he curled up close to his mentor- his father.

Bruce nodded and kissed his head. "I do." He murmured.

"I love you Daddy." Dick whispered. His body was relaxing now. Bruce lay down, pulling his Robin- _his real Robin_- close. The boy curled against him.

Bruce listened as Dick's breath came evenly now. He watched the boy's face in the soft moonlight.

A smile came over his face and he murmured, "I love you too, son."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **I hope you enjoyed. Which one did you like the best? Want more stories with Batbear or don't you ever want to hear about them again?**

**I hope you enjoyed the story! Please leave a review and tell me what you liked and didn't like, or what you'd like to see in the future.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	14. Too Old for Teddybears: Part 1

**A/N: This chapter was inspired by Random Under the Sun who requested a sleepover between Dick, Wally, and Roy. It was also inspired by all of my wonderful reviewers who requested more with Batbear. I'm glad everyone likes them so much!**

**(On another note, I'm making an actual Batbear and Robin bear. I'll put a link up when I'm done with them)**

**This is my first two-shot, so we'll see how it goes!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Batbear and Robinbear.**

* * *

><p>There were lots of things that Dick Grayson never had done before. After coming to live with Bruce he'd gotten to do lots of these firsts. He'd never seen snow until he'd come to live with Bruce. He'd never gone to a public school before. He'd never lived in a house before either. He'd certainly never gone to huge parties like Bruce hosted before, and he'd <em>never<em> had friends outside of the circus before.

The time had come for his next first. It was one that he'd looked forward for a long time. It was one that he'd begged Bruce about for ages. He'd never given in… until now.

It was: The Sleepover.

Dick had never had a sleepover before. Wally and Roy insisted that they were the most fun things in the world and Dick had wanted to have one ever since they'd mentioned it. He'd asked Bruce over and over again if he could have one with Wally and Roy but each time his guardian refused.

Finally Barry had taken matters into his own hands. He'd gone over Bruce's head and asked Alfred. The butler of course had been thrilled by the idea and had quickly arranged for Dick to go over to Barry's for the proposed sleepover. Bruce hadn't been too happy about it but there was no way to argue with Alfred. So now, _finally_, Dick was getting his sleepover.

Or he would if Bruce would ever stop talking with Barry. They'd been standing in the door way for over ten minutes while Bruce went over his rules and threatened Barry over and over again about what he would do if Dick got hurt in any way, shape, or form.

"_Bruce_." Dick moaned, "Come _on_." He tried to push past his guardian so he could go inside where Wally and Roy were waiting. Bruce shot him a glare and pushed him back behind him.

"Dick, stay still." Bruce ordered before turning his glare back on Barry. "And remember-"

"Bruce, the kid is right." The blonde man held up his hands in surrender. "Nothing is going to happen. I know you're watching, I know every single one of your rules, I have the emergency contact numbers, and yes I do know CPR, and I know that you'll end me if anything happens. I _know_."

The bat-glare came out in full force before Bruce gave a curt nod. "Fine." He stepped aside.

The little boy at his side squealed with joy and rushed past him. "This is going to be so much fun!" Dick cried as he ran to join his friends inside. The three promptly ran off.

Bruce sighed deeply. Dick hadn't even said goodbye….

Barry chuckled. "They grow up so fast."

Bruce could only nod in agreement.

* * *

><p>"What do you do at sleepovers?" Dick asked once they had finished stowing his stuff in Wally's very messy room.<p>

"You do anything you want to." Wally declared. "Uncle Barry said we could do _anything_ since it's your first sleep over."

"Really?" Dick's eyes lit up.

"Unless it would hurt someone or destroy the house." Roy clarified. "But otherwise, yea, anything."

Wally's hand shot up into the air. "I call the first activity!" He said. "We're having pillow fort wars."

Not another word needed to be said. Pillow Fort Wars were a favorite of the three. They played it all the time. If they played it at the Watch Tower they could even get some of the leaguers to join in.

So, within fifteen minutes, the boys had managed to take every pillow, cushion, and mattress in the house and relocate them to the living room. Each child had their own fort and was currently engaged in what was, of course, one of the most epic battles of all time. According to them at least.

Roy's fort was built on the far edge of the room. Dick's was by the door and had two mattresses. He'd also gotten a stack of couch cushions for ammunition. Roy had only managed to snag two pillows for ammunition and was already out after throwing them at Wally's fort. So he went to his next option. He wasn't going to lose this round. Last time they'd played Dick had won. He'd thrown a stink bomb into Roy's fort, forcing the older boy to retreat. So, if Dick had played dirty last time, Roy would now too.

"Roy! That's not fair!" Dick cried. "You can't shoot arrows at me!"

"I'm shooting them at your fort. That's legal." Roy shouted back with a laugh. He shot another arrow and half of Dick's fort came tumbling down.

"Roy's right." Wally called. "As long as you don't leave your fort it's legal."

"But _Roy_." He whined. The older boy was showing no mercy. He shot another arrow which made the base of Dick's fort collapse. The pillows came tumbling down, leaving Dick exposed.

Roy just laughed. "You lose." He called.

"I only loose if I leave my fort." Dick shouted. He ducked under his fallen mattress and stuck out his tongue. "I'm still in my fort."

"Not much of a fort."

"Yea? Well, neither is yours!" With that Dick threw a smoke bomb. Roy gave a cry as it sailed into his fort, quickly releasing a thick dark cloud of smoke. He coughed and ran out.

"Dick!" He shouted. "I said no more bombs!"

"Stink bombs." The little boy corrected with a laugh. "That was a smoke bomb."

"Roy, take shelter with me!" Wally called.

Now it was the two red heads against the little robin. They took what was left of Roy's fort and pelted the younger boy with pillows.

"Surrender!" Wally yelled as he smacked Dick upside the head with the pillow.

"No, you surrender." Dick said, flinging his pillow back at him.

In no time the pillow fort war dissolved into a pillow fight, as so often happened. Then, as usually happened after that, it turned into a tickling war. Dick shrieked with laughter as Roy tickled him. "Are you going to surrender yet?" Roy asked as Dick let out a cry of laughter. His sides were aching so hard from laughing that he could barely breathe.

"M-maybe."

"Maybe? What kind of answer is that?" Wally asked.

Roy stopped to let Dick catch his breath. "I'll surrender if we can play with balloons."

"Oh! Good idea!" Soon the three were running upstairs to get balloons. Balloon volleyball was another one of their favorite games. And after they were done they always got to pop the balloons, which was even more fun.

Barry saw the kids run out of the living room and smiled to himself. They were having fun. Good. It was about time Bruce let his kid have some fun. All that training and hanging out in a cave was probably bad for him.

Barry smiled. "This was such a good idea."

* * *

><p>"This was a <em>terrible<em> idea." Barry groaned.

He could no longer fathom why he had agreed for this sleepover. At the time it had sounded like a great idea. Now… no so much.

First they'd trashed the living room when playing their pillow fort wars. And for some reason a smoke bomb had gone off so the room was now musty. After that they'd been playing with balloons and he'd listened to them popping them until he was certain his ear drums had burst. Then there had been four rounds of tag, one of hide and seek, one scavenger hunt, one toilet-papered house (thankfully not his), a movie, three snacks, one dinner, and twelve board games.

And they _still_ weren't tired.

"Ok, boys, its bedtime." Barry announced as he walked into the living room.

Three simultaneous moans arose. "Not _yet_." Wally cried.

"It's only three in the morning!" Dick exclaimed.

Barry rolled his eyes. "It's late." He said. "Iris and I are trying to sleep."

"But we're not tired." Wally said.

"We'll be fine." Roy tried to insist.

"No. Bedtime." Barry insisted firmly.

"Just one more movie?" The boys begged.

"By the time you finish the movie it will be time to wake up!" Barry was thoroughly exhausted just from cleaning up after them all day and constantly worrying that one of them would get hurt. "Bedtime."

"But Uncle Barry!" All three groaned at once.

This was the last straw. This called for drastic action. "Do you want me to tell Batman you wouldn't go to sleep?" Barry warned. Immediately the boys fell silent. Barry breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, now get ready for bed."

"Yes Uncle Barry." The three mumbled. At the mention of the Bat they always ceased what they were doing. Next time, Barry decided, they were having the sleepover at the Manor.

* * *

><p>Dick had certain nightly routines that always had to happen. For example, before he went to bed, no matter how late it was, Dick had to have a glass of milk. He always had to brush his teeth and wash his face before he went to sleep too. Then he'd change into his pajamas and climb into bed. If it wasn't a late night and Bruce was in a good mood, he'd tell him a story. If Bruce was in a <em>really<em> good mood Dick could even get him to act them out. Then Bruce would tuck him in with Batbear and he'd go to sleep.

The most important part of the whole ritual, of course, was Batbear.

Ever since he'd resurrected the teddybear Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern had destroyed, Batbear was almost always nearby. Dick had even managed to bring him on patrol a few times, despite the anguish it caused Batman. That being said, Dick never forgot Batbear at nighttime.

Having a sleepover disrupted most of his sleeping patterns. However, Batbear always stayed the same. Dick smiled as he pulled the bear out of his suitcase. He patted down the cowl until it was perfect. Then, satisfied, he trotted back over to his sleeping bag.

"What's that?" Roy asked. The archer was already in his sleepingbag and ready to go to bed.

"It's Batbear." Dick said proudly. He presented the bear to his friends.

Wally frowned. "Isn't that the one Uncle Barry destroyed?"

"Yea. But he's all better now." Dick smiled as he stroked the bear's head. He started to crawl into bed when Roy made a sound.

"Wait," the older boy said, "you _sleep_ with Batbear?"

"Of course. He keeps me safe."

"Dick, it's just a stuffed animal. He can't really keep you safe."

Dick frowned at Roy. "He does too." He snapped.

Roy snorted. "Don't you think you're a little _old_ for stuffed animals?"

Dick shook his head and clutched Batbear tighter. "You can't be too old for stuffed animals."

"Of course you can." Roy said. "I mean, you don't see Superman sleeping with one, do you?"

"Well no but-"

"Only babies sleep with stuffed animals." Roy said firmly.

Dick stared down at Batbear's black eyes. He looked over at Wally hopefully. The other redhead was frowning though, as if he was trying to decide if Roy was right. Roy _was_ older. He probably was right. Wally didn't know any kids at his school that still slept with stuffed animals, and he knew for a fact that Uncle Barry didn't.

"I don't sleep with one." Wally said. He never really had, but that was besides the point.

"You don't?" Dick turned to Roy. "And you don't?"

"Of course not. Stuffed animals are for babies." Roy repeated firmly.

Dick frowned at Batbear. He wasn't a baby. He was a big boy. He was almost nine! Did nine year olds sleep with stuffed animals?

"Are you _sure_?" Dick asked once more.

Roy started to laugh. "Aww… is Dick a little baby? He can't sleep without his teddybear?"

"I'm not a baby!" Dick cried indignantly.

"Little Robin's too scared to fly from the nest." Roy teased.

"No I'm not!"

"Dickey can't sleep without a teddybear." Wally chimed in with a sing song voice. "Dickey's a little baby."

"Baby baby baby." Roy added.

"_I'm not a baby!_" Dick shouted.

His friends continued to tease him. They didn't really want to hurt his feelings, but teasing Dick was just something fun for them to do. It's what all brothers did.

"I'm not a baby!" Dick threw Batbear across the room. "See?" he snapped. "I don't even need a teddybear to sleep."

"Really?" Roy asked. He was a bit surprised. Usually Dick would find some type of witty comment to throw back and then they'd just throw insults at each other for fun.

"Really." Dick said firmly. He crossed the room and picked up the bear. "I don't even need Batbear." He insisted. "Cause' I'm a big boy now and I don't need him."

"That's right!" Wally added in.

Dick smiled widely seeing that he now had approval from both of his friends. "I don't need Batbear." He insisted. Then, without another thought, he tossed Batbear out the two story window.

His friends cheered.

"There! See Dick? Now you're a big kid." Roy laughed. He grabbed Dick and gave him a noogie. The younger one cried out in protest and squirmed in his grasp.

"Wally help!"

The boy sped over and soon the three were wrestling on the floor.

"Guys!" Barry was downstairs again. "Go to bed or I swear I'll call Batman!"

The three children quickly quieted. Still giggling to themselves, they fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Dick, wake up." Bruce murmured softly as he nudged his sleeping charge. It was now almost eleven and the children still hadn't woken up. "Dickey…"<p>

The child rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head.

Bruce sighed and opted for just picking him up. Dick didn't even seem to notice. "How late were they up?" He asked Barry.

"Forever. I tried to get them to sleep but they wouldn't." The speedster shrugged. "Next time they're having a sleepover at your house."

Bruce said nothing in return. "Dick? Come on, wake up." He tried again.

"Not now daddy." The boy slurred. "I'm sleeping."

Bruce sighed deeply. If they had another sleepover bedtime was midnight no matter what. "Alright buddy, let's get you in the car. Then we'll go home."

"Mmm…"

Bruce carried his sleeping ward to the car and buckled him in without a hint of complaint. Then he went back inside to gather the remains of Dick's belongings. There only seemed to be one thing missing.

"Did you see Batbear?" Bruce asked.

Barry shook his head. "I don't think he brought him. I didn't see him this morning."

Bruce nodded and picked up the suitcase. How odd. Maybe Dick had just forgotten him at home. Usually he couldn't sleep without the bear.

"Thank you." He told Barry with a small smile.

The speedster just smiled. "Yea, well, next time it's _your_ turn."

Bruce snorted. Next time it wasQueen's turn. He didn't want anything to do with these sleepovers. "We'll see." He said. He carried the final belongings out to the car.

Gently he rubbed Dick's shoulder. "Dickey, did you bring Batbear?" He asked. He didn't want to forget the bear. Dick would be a sobbing mess and he'd have to drive the whole way out here again to get it.

"Batbear?" Dick asked sleepily. "No. I'm a big boy."

* * *

><p>Dick shot up in bed. He was covered in a cold sweat. His eyes tore around the room in frantic terror. Shadows grew and stretched into grotesque forms. Little sounds made him jump. The shapes just outside his window seemed to change into figures of absolute horror.<p>

A scream started to form on the little boy's lips.

_Just a nightmare_. He told himself. _It was only a nightmare_.

Even so tears sprang to his eyes. The little boy curled into a ball and pulled the covers over his head. This was terrifying. Usually it wasn't so scary when he woke up. Usually he would be ok. Why wasn't he ok?

Where was Batbear? Batbear always made the nightmares better. Batbear protected him.

He groped around his bed for the stuffed animal. Where _was_ he?

Terror seized his heart and panic started to well up in his brain.

_Where was Batbear?_

Dick jumped out of bed and flicked on the lights. His eyes scanned his room and he started to tear apart his sheets. Batbear had to be around here somewhere! He had to be!

He was just about to crawl under his bed when a sudden thought stopped him short.

"No." Dick's voice cracked on the word.

Memories of his sleepover three days ago flitted through his mind. And of the awful moment when he'd thrown his bear out the window.

Dick sunk to the ground. A broken wail escaped his lips.

Batbear was gone. Forever.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Coming up next time: How will Robin deal with the loss of his teddybear? Will he be able to get past the loss? What will Bruce do about his little boy growing up? Join us next time! **

**Hope you enjoyed! The next chapter should be up by the end of the week.**

**I'd love to hear what you think about this. So, please review!**

**Thank you for reading!**


	15. Too Old for Teddybears: Part 2

**A/N: **

**I was so happy to see everyone's responses. When I first wrote Batbear it was because I had a stuffed animal that I loved as a child, which of course I still have. I wrote this chapter because I know the pain you can suffer when you lose one of your beloved toys. I liked stories that focus on the human aspect of Robin and the fact that he is still just a child. I was so glad to see that these chapters seemed to spark a personal note with so many of my readers. So thank you all so much for the reviews and I hope you enjoy.**

**To keep this from becoming absolutely humongous chapter, I've made this two-shot into a three-shot. It wasn't supposed to be at first, but I've changed my ideas about five times, so that's why the chapter took so long to get to you. I'm writing part three right now so it will be up soon!**

**Thank you to all my readers and especially to my reviwers. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

><p>Another sob pulled itself from his lips. All Dick wanted was to get Batbear back. But he was gone now. Dick felt awful. He'd thrown Batbear away like he was nothing. Dick had said he didn't need him anymore! He'd told his friends later that Batbear was stupid. And now Batbear was gone.<p>

Batbear had been his responsibility. He was supposed to take care of him. When they'd fixed him up Alfred had made him promise to take care of the bear and Dick had said he would. He'd taken the bear everywhere, even on patrol. How could he just abandon him like that? He'd promised Alfred he'd take care of the bear and love it and make sure nothing ever happened to it again.

And then he'd thrown it out a window.

Another fear gripped his heart. _Alfred_ would be so upset with him! He'd been furious when Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern had destroyed teddy. How would he feel when Dick got rid of him, especially after he promised to take care of him?

And then there was Bruce. Bruce was always telling him about how he had to be responsible and take care of others. He'd be so upset when he found out what Dick had done. Maybe he'd even force him to stop being Robin!

The boy's eyes flew open. He couldn't tell Bruce! He couldn't tell anyone. If he did then Alfred and Bruce would know and they'd be so upset.

Dick took a deep breath, then another. He tried to think of other things- anything else. He got out one of his text books and started to read over math problems. When that didn't make him tired enough to fall back to sleep he went and cleaned up his room. It took forever until he was finally able to sleep.

* * *

><p>Dick had thought about Batbear all last night. There wasn't any way he was getting his bear back, he'd realized, so he'd have to make the most of it. It was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do, but he didn't have a choice.<p>

When he walked downstairs he somehow expected everything to be different now that Batbear was gone. Nothing had changed though. Alfred was making pancakes. Bruce was reading the morning paper.

"Hello, Dick." Bruce said with a smile as he walked into the room.

Dick just mumbled a hello. He took the plate Alfred offered him and slowly began to eat.

Alfred frowned at the boy's attitude. Usually he was active and excited, even in the early hours of the day. "How are you feeling today, Master Richard?" Alfred asked.

"Fine." Dick lied. His tone was perfectly neutral, which made even Bruce look up.

"Are you?" Bruce asked.

"I'm fine." Dick lied again. This time he forced a smile and tried to sound pleasant.

Still, Bruce's eyes narrowed. He knew when Dick was lying. Dick bit his lip nervously. "I… I just had a hard time sleeping last night." He said softly. "That's all."

It wasn't a lie. Bruce's brow softened at the words. "Did you have nightmares?" He asked worriedly.

"No." Dick said. Again, that wasn't a lie. "I just couldn't sleep."

Bruce nodded in agreement. He was glad that nothing seemed amiss. Dick ate his food and tried to act like nothing was wrong with him. It wasn't working. All he could think about was Batbear and about how upset Bruce and Alfred would be if they found out.

He needed to do something. Alfred always said the best way to keep nightmares at bay was to not think about them. To do that you kept yourself busy doing other things and keeping yourself happy with that stuff. This was similar.

"Bruce?" Dick spoke up. "Can I play with Roy and Wally today?"

"I think Wally is supposed to be at the Watch Tower with Barry today." Bruce said. "You could call to ask if Roy wants to come up too."

Dick smiled for real now. "I'd like that."

Bruce nodded. "Alright. I'm leaving in half an hour. Get your things together."

Half an hour later Dick was clad in his Robin costume. He had a small backpack with him filled with extra clothes and some video games to play with. He jumped up and down excitedly beside Batman as they waited for him to finish getting ready.

"Can we go now?" He demanded.

"In a moment." Bruce chuckled. He finished transferring the data onto his minicomputer. Then, satisfied, he turned to Robin. He scanned him once to make sure everything was in place. "Do you have everything?"

"Yes." Robin said eagerly.

Batman raised an eyebrow. "Really? What about Batbear?"

Usually at the mention of this Robin would rush back upstairs to get the stuffed animal. He never left home without it. Though, Batman had noticed, he hadn't been carrying it around constantly for the past few days. Today Robin just stared at him. Then, putting on a brave face, Robin shook his head. "I don't need Batbear."

"You don't?" Batman was genuinely surprised.

"No. I'm a big boy now." Robin said sternly. "I'm almost nine. I don't need Batbear anymore. He is for babies."

Batman had no idea what to say to that. Robin didn't want Batbear anymore? Bruce wasn't sure why but this made his heart ache.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Positive." Robin crossed his arms and straightened up.

Bruce wasn't sure why he felt the strong urge to force Robin to get the bear. Or why he suddenly wanted to crush the boy to his chest and not let go.

Robin cocked his head to the side. "Are we going yet?" He demanded.

Then Bruce knew why. Robin was growing up. The thought made his chest constrict. His little bird was growing up. He didn't want Batbear anymore. How much longer would it be until he didn't need Bat_man_ either? After all, Batman wasn't his favorite superhero anymore. And now he wanted to play more with Roy and Wally than he did with Bruce. Plus, Robin was going to be graduating from second grade soon. How much longer would he still be Bruce's little boy?

He quickly shoved these thoughts away. "We're going." He said quickly. "Come on." He held his hand out. The boy either didn't see or ignored him. He stepped into the zeta beam without Batman.

Bruce steeled himself against his feelings and let his hand drop. He stepped inside with his ward. He'd have to talk with Alfred about this.

* * *

><p>Dick had been struggling all day to act like nothing was wrong. It wasn't working though. He kept trying. Really, he did try to act like a big boy. He tried not to let anyone know how upset he was. He just felt awful though and it was showing.<p>

When Roy asked him if everything was alright, Dick broke down.

"No!" Dick cried. "Everything isn't ok because Batbear is _gone!"_

Roy and Wally looked worriedly at each other. "But you said you didn't need him anymore." Wally whispered, confused.

"I thought I didn't, but I do." Robin curled up, hiding his face in his knees and sobbing once more. "I had a nightmare and usually Batbear helps keep them away but he wasn't there and…."

Roy wrapped his arms around Robin. "It's ok, Robin." He said softly.

"No it isn't!" Dick flung the older boy's arms off of him. "Batbear is gone and he's never coming back and it's _all my fault_."

"We'll get him back." Wally said quickly, distressed by his friend's tears. "We'll just go back to my house and see if he's there. It'll be easy."

Dick sniffed hopefully. "Really?"

"Yes." Roy agreed quickly. "We'll just ask to hang out there and then we'll find Batbear and everything will be ok."

"It's been three days though." Dick said. "What if someone took him? Or what if he's hurt?"

"We can always ask Batman, since he's the world's greatest detective."

"No!" Robin shook his head furiously. "We can't tell Batman or Alfred. They'd be so upset and then they'll get mad at me and then they'll make me stop being Robin!"

Wally's eyes widened. "They'd do that over a _teddybear_?"

Robin nodded weakly. This fact only furthered Roy's resolve though. There was no way he was going to let Robin become anymore upset by this. He was going to make sure that his 'little brother' got Batbear back, without letting Batman or Alfred know.

"Come on." He said. "Let's go talk to Flash."

The three boys made their way to the monitor womb where Flash was on monitor duty. "Uncle Barry?" Wally asked. He sped to his uncle's side as the other two walked up. "Can we go to your house?"

"Not now. I have work."

"But Robin, Speedy, and I really wanted to play there." Wally lied.

"I have to be at the watch tower, guys. What's so important that you need to go there for?" Flash looked from one boy to the next, anticipating some type of prank. A frown creased his face when he realized that probably wasn't what they had in mind. Dick was clutching tightly at Roy's hand, half hiding behind him. "Did something happen?" He questioned.

"No." Roy said quickly. But the way Dick shrunk behind him, blushing, made Flash worry.

"What is it?" He asked.

Wally opened his mouth to talk, but at Dick's quick head shake he immediately shut up. Flash frowned more. He went to kneel in front of Dick. "What is it, Dickey?" He tried again.

"I… I just wanted to do something fun." Dick said softly. A lie formed quickly in his mind as he spoke. "And we wanted to play at the park near your house."

Flash looked at Roy. As the oldest he was usually the most level headed of their group. Maybe he would get an explanation out of him. The archer only slightly shook his head. "Please?" He asked.

Barry looked once more at the little raven haired boy. He looked so sad that Barry didn't really have a choice. "Ok, but you have to stay with them at all costs. I'll just tell Batman and-"

"No!" Robin burst out. Barry froze in shock. "Can you… _not_ tell Batman?" He whispered. "He won't let me go and then he'll be really angry at me."

_Crap_ Barry thought. This wasn't good. This meant that whatever had Dick so upset probably was because of Bruce. Maybe he'd been training him to hard or had scared the boy or something. Occasionally he'd done that in the past. It was the only time when Dick didn't want to be around Batman. When that happened Dick had gone out of his way to hide from the Dark Knight. It seemed like that was the case right now. His 'brothers' were only trying to protect him.

"Alright," Flash agreed. "You can go out. Roy, you're going to watch them until my shift ends. Think you can handle them for two hours?"

"Of course." Roy agreed readily.

Barry nodded. "Alright. Get changed and I'll beam you down."

"And you _promise_ you won't tell Batman?" Dick asked.

Flash nodded. "Promise."

* * *

><p>"Bruce, what did you do?" Flash's cry shocked even Batman. He'd been talking with Hal over by the consol when Barry had appeared.<p>

"What do you mean?" Batman's eyes narrowed at the speedster. "Aren't you supposed to be on Monitor Duty?"

"I got someone to take over for a few minutes." Barry crossed his arms, glaring at the Bat. That was something that hardly ever happened. _No one_ glared at the Bat.

"What is it?" Batman demanded.

"What did you do to Robin?"

Batman just stared at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He answered truthfully. Flash didn't believe him. The red-clad man just stood there glaring at him. Bruce raised a brow. "I haven't done anything."

"He's avoiding you." Flash said harshly. "He looked really upset too."

Hal Jordan's face furrowed as he turned to Batman. "What did you do?" He asked. No one liked seeing Robin upset.

"I haven't done anything." Batman insisted. "What did he say was wrong?"

"Nothing. He was upset though and he practically begged me not to tell you about it."

"About what?" Batman growled.

Flash blushed a bit. "Uh… the fact that they're going to my house."

Batman's glare came out in full force now. "Unsupervised?" He demanded.

"Roy is with them and Iris is home. They just wanted to go to the park because _Robin_ is really upset with you." Flash's anger came back at the mention of the little boy.

"I'm going to go-"

"No." Superman was over by their side now, along with Green Arrow, Dihna, and Diana. "If Robin is upset with you, you're going to leave him alone until he wants to see you again."

Batman groaned. They were doing this again. Once, when he'd accidentally hurt Robin's feelings, Robin had been so upset that he'd wanted nothing more to do with Batman. He'd gone to the watch tower and hid with the other heroes. They hadn't let him see his son until Robin had said it was ok and Batman had apologized. Now, when he hadn't done anything wrong in the first place, they were doing it again.

"I told you. I didn't do anything." Bruce said furiously.

Dihna glared at him. "You didn't train him too hard? You didn't make him go on a dangerous mission? You didn't get mad at him? Didn't tell him he wasn't needed? Didn't ignore him?"

"No I-"

Wonder Woman cut him off. "No. When Robin comes back we'll talk with him. Then we'll see if he wants to see you."

Batman snapped his mouth shut. He pretended this didn't bother him. He _hadn't_ done anything wrong. But….

He sighed heavily when he realized what was wrong. "I didn't do anything." He said slowly. "Robin is just growing up. He doesn't want me around all the time anymore. I didn't do anything."

The women's eyes narrowed, still not believing him. However, Ollie nodded in agreement. "He's going through that stage, is he?" the archer asked. "I remember what it was like when Roy did that."

Bruce nodded in agreement. "He doesn't even want Batbear anymore."

That shocked the other heroes. "Seriously?" Flash asked, shocked.

"Yes. He said he was too old for him."

"I don't believe it." Hal said. "Robin is growing up."

Batman nodded again, this time a bit sadly. He was growing up.

It seemed Robin no longer wanted Batman after all….

* * *

><p>The three boys stared at the spot in the bushes. There was nothing there, not even a trace of the bear. They were on their knees, going through the hedge just outside of the West's house. When they hadn't found the bear initially Dick had been near tears. Roy had quickly insisted they search for clues.<p>

"Wait!" Wally cried. "I found something."

The two other boys hurried over to where Wally was kneeling. The red head held up a small tuft of fur. "This is Batbear's, right?"

"It is!" Dick snatched the piece of fur from him. "Someone must have hurt him again!"

"Someone must have taken him." Roy said. "Wally, do you remember anyone who came by?"

Wally shook his head. "Not that I know of. I'm not here all the time though."

"Think." Dick insisted. "Who usually comes by the house?"

The boy's face scrunched up as he thought. "Well… there is the mailman, and the garbage man, and the neighbors always go for a walk around one."

"One of them must have taken Batbear." Dick said firmly. "If we find out who they are and where they live we can go and find if they took Batbear and get him back!"

"How do we find that out?" Roy asked.

"Easily." The little boy pulled one of his Robin gloves out of his jacket pocket. When He pressed a button on them a holographic computer popped up.

"Woa. That's cool." Wally said. The three boys crowded around the glove. "Where did you get that?"

"Batman."

"You always have all the best stuff." Roy grumbled. Why wouldn't Ollie give him a holographic computer?

Dick nodded in agreement. "Yea. It links up with the Bat-computer. Wally, what are the people's names? I can look them up and find their addresses."

"I don't know." Wally mumbled. "The neighbors are the Harrisons though. And we already know where they live."

"Go ask your aunt about the garbage man and the mailman. I'll look up the Harrisons." Dick ordered. He'd automatically switched to Robin-mode.

Wally came back a few minutes later. "Aunt Iris says that she doesn't know the garbage man but the mailman's name is Tim. The garbage man has brown hair and a beard though… if that helps."

"Alright." Dick typed a few more things into the computers. "I can hack into the systems and find out whose route covers your home." A few seconds later Dick had names. "There! The mailman's name is Tim Devante and the garbage man is Peter Frank."

"What do we do now?" Roy asked.

"We split up, go into their homes, and find Batbear." Dick ordered. "Tim Devante has a son. Maybe he took Batbear to give to him. I don't know about the neighbor's or Peter though." Dick brought up a map and showed his friends the locations. "Roy, you're going to look for the garbage man. Wally, you'll take your neighbor's. I'll take Tim's house."

The boys nodded and a moment later they had split up.

Dick took a deep breath. "I'm coming Batbear."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

** Who took Batbear? Will Dick ever get his beloved bear back? Will Batman accept that his little bird is growing up? Find out next time!**

**Thank you all for reading! Please send me a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts.**


	16. Too Old For Teddybears: Part 3

**A/N: I have now had 300 (opps, 301!) reviews. Thanks so much to everyone! In honor of my 300th review, I'm giving you part three earlier! Enjoy!**

**Here is the final part! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Batbear and Robinbear**

* * *

><p>Wally felt bad about sneaking into the Harrisons' house. He also felt bad about lying to Aunt Iris. They'd told her they were going to the park. In reality they were all breaking into houses. Still, his guilt about Batbear outweighed anything else.<p>

It was partially his fault that Dick had gotten rid of the bear. If he hadn't teased him with Roy then Dick never would have thrown the bear away. He never liked seeing his 'little brother' upset, so he felt awful about that. Wally really didn't want to get in trouble with Batman either, and he certainly didn't want to be the reason Dick got fired from being Robin.

So, he broke into his neighbor's house. It was fairly simple. They hadn't even locked the doors. They'd be gone for about an hour as they went on their daily walk. That gave him more than enough time to search the house.

Wally snuck through the rooms, trying to think. Why would they have taken Batbear? Maybe they had thought it was his and were just waiting to give it back to him. That made sense to Wally. What other reason could they have for taking a stuffed bear?

He crept upstairs. Might as well start up there.

The first three rooms showed no sign of Batbear. He was very diligent in his search. Dick had instructed them to look _everywhere_ for the bear. Under beds, in drawers, in the bathrooms, in safes; he'd even told him to look for secret storage areas. Wally wasn't sure why someone would hide a bear like that, but he wanted to make sure. After all, Robin knew more about villains and that type of stuff. Maybe that's what people did when they stole stuffed animals. He didn't know.

The third room was more of a challenge. All types of supplies for children littered the room. Wally gasped. It was a baby room! Most of the boxes weren't unpacked yet. There was one for a crib, one for a changing table, and one for a toy box. Other boxes had knickknacks and toys and other things a baby might need. Cans of blue paint sat by the wall. A mobile with different superhero symbols lay on the floor.

Now that he thought about it, Mrs. Harrison had looked fatter recently. They must have been having a baby!

Maybe that was why they'd taken Batbear. They _did_ like superheroes. Sometimes Mr. Harrison would invite him and Uncle Barry over for a cook out. Mr. Harrison would talk with them for hours about the Justice League and the Flash. Maybe they'd taken Batbear to give to their child!

* * *

><p>Roy couldn't believe he was doing this. If Ollie caught him he would be in so much trouble. If Dihna caught him he'd be dead. Still, as he stepped into the apartment, he felt that they would be at least a little proud that he'd broken in without setting off a single alarm.<p>

"Hello Peter Frank." Roy muttered as he closed the door behind him. "You must never have heard of a washing machine, have you?"

The apartment of the garbage man Peter Frank, also a suspected kidnapper of Batbear, was disgusting. There were piles of unwashed clothing lying around the place. Due to the fact that he dealt with garbage as his job, the piles smelled terrible. Other than the clothing littering the place, tons of other junk was covering every surface. Broken toys, used computers, mismatched furniture, and old tools littered the place.

Roy slowly maneuvered through the room. It seemed this Peter Frank collected all types of knickknacks from the job. Well, one man's trash was another man's treasure.

"Probably took the kid's teddy bear, didn't you?" Roy said as he passed an impressive pile of head-less barbies.

* * *

><p>Dick slunk through an open window into Tim Devante's house. He snorted at the simplicity of the act. People of Central City obviously didn't care as much about their safety as did Gotham City's people. Of course, the people of Central City didn't have to worry about Joker, a gang, robber, or any other type of crazy people breaking into their houses on a regular basis.<p>

They did, however, have to worry about getting their teddybears stolen.

Dick's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the room. This must have been a study. There was a desk covered in papers. A computer, still on, was beside it. Books and picture frames covered every other inch of space. Dick picked up a photo, observing. Tim Davente was with his wife and his three year old son in the photo. The child had a Green Lantern t-shirt on in the photo. Obviously he liked superheroes. Maybe Tim had seen Batbear and assumed it was a good companion for his son.

The most likely place for the bear to be then would be the child's room. Dick quickly hurried down the hall. He'd have to be fast. He knew the wife and he child were downstairs.

However, that didn't seem possible when he stepped into the room. There were tons of toys everywhere. "Definitely a superhero-kid." Dick whispered. There were tons of action figures all over the place. He giggled when he saw one of him. Then he quickly steeled himself. He was on a mission! It would take a long time to go through the whole room.

His search proved fruitless. There was no sign of Batbear among the piles of stuffed animals, board games, video games, movies, or the action figures.

He moved on to search the other upstairs rooms, but that too proved fruitless. It was only when he heard the sound of a child's laughter downstairs that he realized what might be true. If the boy had just gotten a new toy he probably had it with him. Dick surely would have done that if he'd just gotten a new toy! He couldn't just run downstairs and get the bear though. He needed to do something else.

Bruce would be furious if he found out about Dick's plan. Dick didn't really care though at this point. Besides, Bruce would never need to know. If he was right, he'd get Batbear and get out of there in no time.

Dick slipped back out the window, shimmed down a nearby tree, and ran to the front of the house. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door.

A few moments later a woman opened the door. She looked kind, unlike most of the people of Gotham City. "Hello there, honey." The woman said. "Are you looking for Anthony? I didn't know he had any friends coming over. Just a second." She turned back into the house to call for her son.

"Actually, miss," Dick said quickly, "I was looking for my teddybear."

The lady frowned. "What?" She asked. A little boy bounded around the corner.

"Who's that?" The boy asked, pointing at Dick.

"I'm looking for my teddybear." Dick said. "I lost him and I was just checking to see if anyone had found him."

"I don't think we've seen any teddybears." The lady said. She looked apologetic now, like she thought he was silly.

"He was brown and he had a cowl on like Batman. And a little utility belt and cape?" He tried to jog their memories or make the little boy confess.

Instead the boy just giggled. "A batbear!" The boy said. He looked up at his mom. "Can I get one?"

Dick's heart fell. They didn't have batbear.

"Maybe, Anthony." The lady said. To Dick she went, "I'm sorry but we haven't seen any batbears around. Have you checked your school's lost and found?"

"I'll do that. Thank you." Dick said sadly.

As soon as the lady had closed the door he ran off. They didn't have Batbear after all.

Hopefully the others were more successful.

* * *

><p>"I didn't find him." Wally said sadly. "I searched three times in every spot I could but he wasn't there."<p>

"I didn't find him either." Roy said. "I did find a really awesome comic book collection though."

"Did you bring them?" Wally asked.

Roy shook his head. "No. That would have been stealing. I did read through the entire series though. It was pretty awesome."

Dick sighed. He sunk into his seat on the park bench. "So that's it." He whispered. "I'm not getting Batbear back."

Roy wrapped an arm around the child's shoulders. Wally gave him a hug. "I'm sorry, Dickey." Roy said. "We tried."

"We _are_ really sorry." Wally insisted. "It was our fault that you got rid of him."

"We're sorry." Roy added again.

Dick nodded weakly. There wasn't anything they could do now.

The three sat in silence for awhile.

"Let's play." Wally said suddenly. He grabbed Dick's arm. "If you're having fun then you can forget about Batbear. Come on!"

* * *

><p>Alfred was the one to hear the broken wails echoing from around the manor that night. The butler shot up in bed and rushed from his room. The sound was coming from Master Dick's room.<p>

Alfred pushed open the door and was greeted with a sight that broke his heart.

The eight-year-old was sitting on the floor by his bed. He was curled tightly into a ball. His shoulders shook and heart-wrenching sobs racketed his body. The room was a mess. The sheets were tangled and half thrown off the bed. Drawers were thrown open and his pillows were thrown off the bed.

He must have been terrified.

"Master Dick?" Alfred asked gently as he knelt beside the child.

Blue eyes met his. The child's face was soaked with tears. The boy opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a loud wail. Alfred pulled the child into his arms. The boy barely even moved. He let Alfred wrap him into his embrace and rock him back and forth. "What happened, Master Dick?" Alfred asked.

"B-bat-bat..." Dick could barely get the words out of his mouth. Instead he broke into another loud wail.

"Take a deep breath." Alfred instructed. The child could barely breathe! The poor thing. "Breath with me, Master Dick. In and out…. Slowly… there we go…." Alfred kept talking in his reassuring manner. The child tried to breathe along with him and after some agonizing moments he finally did.

Even so tears streamed down his face and he was still shivering.

Alfred didn't know what to do. The child looked haunted. "Do you want me to get Master Bruce?" He asked. When Dick was this bad the only thing to calm him down was his father. Usually Bruce was the first to get Dick when he woke with the nightmares but tonight Bruce was on patrol alone.

Dick nodded weakly. The butler stood. Dick clung to his pant leg as they walked down to the batcave. Usually Dick didn't mind the darkness. He usually felt safe here. But now, knowing that his bear was gone forever, the shadows seemed to grow. Suddenly the cave didn't feel safe anymore. He trembled and pressed closer to Alfred.

The old man placed a hand on his head. He didn't know why Dick was so terrified. It worried him. "Master Batman?" He opened the comlink. He didn't expect a reply so he continued talking. "Master Dick has just awoken from a terrible nightmare. I must request that you come home at once."

"I'm on a stakeout." Batman's harsh tone replied.

Dick whimpered at the sound. Alfred glanced down at those babyblue eyes and a scowl formed on his face. "Master Bruce, that was not a request." Alfred said tersely. "That was an _order_."

Batman froze. Since when did Alfred give him orders? He was about to snap back at the man but then he heard a sob on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry!" Dick cried. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"Master Dick!" came the butler's shocked response. "Master Dick, whatever it was it wasn't your fault."

There were more sobs from the boy. With another glance down Batman took off. The stakeout could wait another day. He rushed from the rooftop back to his car.

When he arrived back in the cave the child still hadn't stopped crying. He was wrapped in Alfred's arms, sobbing harshly into the butler's pajama top. The butler was trying to calm him but nothing seemed to be working. It wasn't often that the old man was flustered, but when he looked up as Batman arrived, he was.

That, more than anything, made Bruce realize just how bad the situation was. He pulled off his mask and rushed to their side. "Dickey?" He demanded. He knelt beside the two. "Dickey, what is it?"

"Bruce!" The child leapt from Alfred's arms to burry himself in Batman's chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Dick? What happened? What is it?"

"I didn't mean to." Dick whispered brokenly.

"It's ok." Bruce tired. "It wasn't your fault. It's ok."

Dick looked up at his father. The man was smiling at him and was rubbing his back. He saw the worried looks in Alfred's and Bruce's eyes. The two men didn't know what had happened. They didn't realize he'd lost Batbear.

No. He hadn't lost him. He'd thrown him away.

Another sob pulled itself from him. Bruce's arms tightened as he pulled the boy closer.

All Dick wanted was to get Batbear back. But he was gone now. He'd done his best. He'd looked for him and he'd tried to take care of him, but now he was gone.

"Dickey…." Bruce's voice broke into his thoughts, "What is it? What happened?"

Dick shook his head furiously. He _couldn't_ tell them. They'd be so upset with him. They'd be angry and maybe he'd be done being Batman's sidekick. Maybe Batman would get Speedy and Kid Flash in trouble too. He didn't want that to happen.

He couldn't tell, but he wanted to desperately. Bruce and Alfred always knew what to do. They could always make things better.

"B-bruce?" Dick asked with a choked sob.

"What is it Dickey?" Bruce looked so worried right now. Dick didn't want him to get upset with him. He didn't want to have Bruce angry.

"N-nothing." Dick finally whispered.

"Nothing has you so upset?" Bruce growled. Dick nodded weakly. He buried his face against Bruce's collarbone. Bruce's heart melted. "Do you want to talk?" He asked gentler.

Dick shook his head. "No." He looked up hopefully at Bruce. "I just…. I just don't want you to be mad at me."

Bruce's eyebrows flew up. "Why would I be mad at you?" Dick shook his head furiously. His eyes began to fill with tears and Bruce quickly hurried to assure him he wasn't upset. "Shhh… ok, Dickey, ok. It's ok. Shhh…" Bruce murmured into his hair. "I won't get mad." Bruce promised. "No matter what it was, I won't be upset."

"Yes you will!" Dick cried. His arms tensed around Bruce's neck as if he anticipated being thrown aside. That terrified Bruce. How could Dick be scared of him?

Bruce said nothing more. He rocked the child back and forth for what seemed like hours. Finally the boy's sobs quieted. He wasn't ok though. The look on the boy's face made Bruce feel awful. The child looked terrified, sad, guilty, and just plain awful. He didn't like seeing Dick like that.

"I'm going to get changed, ok Dickey?" Bruce crooned. "Then we'll go upstairs."

"Can- can I stay with you?" Dick begged.

"Of course you can." Bruce handed Dick over to Alfred and got changed as fast as he could. Once he was in his pajamas he took Dick back into his arms. "Let's go upstairs." He murmured.

He shared one last look with Alfred before carrying the child to his room. They were both extremely worried. When they got inside he carefully tucked Dick into the bed.

Dick rolled over, his eyes never leaving his father. Then they landed on something in the bed.

"Robin Bear?" He asked softly. He reached for the bear. A pang of guilt washed through his body. Bruce still has his bear. He hadn't gotten rid of it. He hadn't said he was too old for him. Why hadn't Dick remembered that when he'd thrown Batbear away?

Bruce chuckled when he saw was Dick was looking at. "See, Dickey? You can never be too old for teddybears." He teased. He hoped it would make Dick smile.

Instead Dick burst into tears. "I'm sorry!" He wailed.

Bruce grabbed Dick and clutched him against his chest. "Dickey! Dick, what is it? What happed?"

"I…I…." Dick hid his face in Bruce's chest. He didn't want to see his face when he told him. "I lost Batbear." Dick whimpered. "I threw him away."

Bruce just stared at the boy. "You did what?"

"I-I threw him away. Out a two story window." Dick sobbed. "At the sleepover with Roy and Wally. We were just having fun but then Roy was making fun of me for sleeping with a teddybear and he said that they were for babies and then Wally joined in and was saying that no one slept with them and I didn't want to be a baby so I threw Batbear out the window. But then I was so upset because I woke up from a nightmare and Batbear wasn't there to protect me so today Roy, Wally, and I were trying to find him, but he was gone and now I'm never going to get him back! And now you and Alfred are going to be really mad at me and you'll make me stop being Robin!"

By the end of his speech Dick's voice had risen two octaves and was so covered by sobs and mucus that it was lucky that Bruce had been able to distinguish his words at all.

Carefully Bruce pulled back from Dick. He settled the sobbing boy in his lap and forced him to meet his eyes. "Dick," he said slowly, "why would you think I would make you stop being Robin over this?"

"Because you said I had to be responsible." Dick whimpered.

Bruce shook his head. "I'm not going to make you stop being Robin over something like this."

"R-really?"

"No, of course not." Bruce tucked Dick into his arms and cradled the child closer to him. "Now… about Batbear…"

"I'm sorry." Dick whispered. "I didn't want Alfred to be upset. I already feel awful enough."

Bruce chuckled softly. "I'm glad you told me what happened." He said. "We were pretty confused."

Dick blinked. "What?"

"We didn't know why you stopped wanting Batbear all of a sudden. I was worried you were growing up too quickly." Bruce said. "And Alfred was very worried."

"I…"

Bruce pulled away from Dick. He reached into his nightstand.

Dick gasped. "Batbear!" He snatched the stuffed animal from Bruce's hand and hugged it close.

He pulled away, looking over the bear. He now had a shirt on with the bag signal and a pair of pants as well. When Dick lifted up the shirt he saw a tangle of stitches running beneath the fabric like scars.

"How did you get him?" Dick asked in awe. He stroked his bear's masked face.

"Barry brought him up to the Watch Tower the day after your sleepover. He was terrified. He kept swearing over and over that he had no idea why he'd found Batbear in the bushes. I think he was scared I'd think he destroyed him again." Bruce said with a chuckle. "I brought him back to Alfred to fix. It took him two days to get him back to normal."

"And now he has scars." Dick whispered as his fingers ran over the stitches. He kissed the bear's head tenderly. He'd given Batbear those scars. "I'm sorry." He whispered to his bear. He'd never meant to hurt him.

"When you told me you didn't were too old for Batbear I thought that you didn't want him. That's why I didn't give him to you." Bruce said.

"I'll _always_ want Batbear!" Dick said heatedly. He clutched the bear closer and looked up at Bruce hopefully. "I am _never_ going to let anything happen to him again."

Bruce smiled. "Good." He said. He snatched Dick up, pulling him against his chest. "Because I know I would never let anything happen to my Robin bear." He kissed Dick's forehead. "Or my real Robin."

Dick giggled and hugged Bruce tightly. "Thank you." He said again.

"You'll have to thank Barry and Alfred tomorrow."

"I _will_." Dick said. He practically owed them his life for saving Batbear!  
>Bruce grinned. "Alright. It's time for bed now." He tucked Dick back under the covers then climbed in with him. He pulled Dick and his Robin Bear close.<p>

"Daddy," Dick said softly. "I promise I'm never going to leave Batbear again." He looked up at him. "Will you ever leave Robin Bear?"

"Never." Bruce promised. He pressed another kiss to Dick's head. "Now go to sleep."

"Ok. Goodnight Daddy. Goodnight Robin Bear. Goodnight Batbear."

The child was asleep within minutes. He was curled up around Batbear, clutching the soft animal for dear life. His face was finally peaceful again though. Even in his sleep there was a smile on his face. Bruce smiled as he his arms wrapped around both of his Robins.

It seemed his little bird wasn't flying the nest just yet.


	17. Cure for the Cold

**A/N: In honor of Cold and Flu season starting... I wrote this. (ok, I got the cold and to make myself feel better I contaminated my family's computer and wrote this) **

**A reviewer (I forget who! I have to go back and look)) said to write one with "Robin being Sick while Daddy Bats was out on a mission." And this is sort-of-kind-of a clishe so I took my own sappy spin on it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>"Dick! You have five minutes before I leave without you!" Bruce called. He finished pulling his cowl up and stood impatiently on the zeta beam transporter.<p>

"I'm coming." A voice called. A moment later Dick was running towards him, haphazardly pulling on one of his boots. "I'm ready." Dick announced.

Batman knelt in front of his charge. "Not quite." He said.

Dick's Robin vest was hanging loose, as the boy had forgotten to close it. His mask was peeling off on the right. His hair was brushed up at odd angles and his cape was hanging loosely from one side. Batman set to righting the costume, a small smile on his face.

"Opps." Dick mumbled. He tried to hide a yawn that came after this.

"Tired?" Bruce asked softly. "Maybe you shouldn't come today."

"No! You promised I could!" Dick cried. His face was flushed red. Bruce assumed it was from his excitement. He'd been begging to go to the Watch Tower all week.

"Alright." Batman agreed. He smoothed Dick's hair into place. Satisfied that his partner was suited up right, Batman pressed the button that sent them to the watch tower.

Dick leaned heavily against Bruce's leg for a moment. The transport had made him woozy. "Are you ok?" Bruce asked softly.

Dick pulled away quickly. "I'm fine." He insisted. After all, he didn't want Batman to send him back home.

He trotted quickly after Batman. Besides, today was going to be even better usual. Superman and Flash had promised to bring their comic books. Batman hated them, but Robin thought they were awesome. It was even more awesome when the heroes themselves promised to read to him.

"There you are!" Flash's laugh greeted the pair as they entered the monitor womb. A moment later, Dick was being picked up. He squealed with laughter as Flash spun him around. "Are you ready for stories about how awesome I am?" Flash asked when he'd finally set Dick back on the ground.

Dick nodded eagerly. "Superman promised to read too, right?"

"He's already waiting in the entertainment room." Flash promised. He grinned. "So, let's go!" He paused and looked at Batman. "I mean- if that's ok." He said quickly when he noticed the deep scowl on the man's face.

Batman gave a curt nod. A moment later Flash had picked Robin up and they'd disappeared.

Batman sighed deeply. Why in the world was Dick so entertained by those comic books? He read them up hungrily and talked about them constantly. Bruce swore that if he had to hear _another_ story about how wonderful Superman was he was going to poison the man's coffee with kryptonite.

Or, maybe he'd just have to get his own comic book series.

* * *

><p>"And then…" Superman paused for dramatic effect. Dick's breathing hitched and he looked hopefully up at the older man. Superman grinned and flipped the page, "I used my ice breath and froze them all!"<p>

Dick let out a giggle. "Then what?" He demanded.

"Well, then I got the bad guy and sent him to the police of course."

"What did you do with them though?" Dick pointed to the picture of the frozen men. "Are they still ice cubes?"

Clark chuckled. "No. I used heat vision to melt the ice. They were all so cold afterwards though that they _wanted_ to go to jail to get warmed up."

"That's so cool." Dick said. "Batman doesn't have heat vision."

Superman tried to hide his smirk. "No he doesn't." He agreed.

"Now Flash can tell one!" Dick said, looking at the red clad hero.

Flash grinned and pulled out one of his comics. "This one is the best." He said, "I'm so glad you want to listen to the stories, Robin. No one else in the watch tower wants to listen to me."

"That's because you read them to us constantly." Clark reminded him.

"Only because they're so good!" Flash grinned and opened his comic book and began reading.

Dick snuggled closer to Superman as he settled in for the story. Superman glanced down and hid his smile at the small boy. Not long later Dick was sound asleep.

"Flash," Superman whispered.

"Hold on a sec, this is the best part-"

"Flash," He hissed.

The man paused in his story telling. "What? Oh…" He smiled slightly when he saw Dick snuggled against Superman.

"I bet Batman kept him out late on patrol." Superman said.

"And it was raining last night too." Flash sighed.

They watched the slumbering boy for a moment. "He's cold." Superman said softly. There were goosebumps covering Dick's legs and arms. He kept moving closer to Superman too, as if to get more warmth.

"I'll get a blanket." A moment later Flash was wrapping the boy in a red blanket with tiny Flash logos all over it. Dick's eyes opened momentarily.

"Thank you." He mumbled sleepily and promptly fell back to sleep.

Flash chuckled. "I guess we should take him back to Batman."

"We can finish the stories later." Superman agreed. He flew the child back to Batman.

Bruce sighed when the bundle was handed to him. "I told you you'd be too tired." He grumbled at the boy. He didn't seem to mind when Robin snuggled up against him though. He simply shifted the boy more comfortably in his lap and wrapped his cape around him.

"Batman?" A soft voice asked.

"What?"

"How come you don't have heat vision?"

"Go back to sleep, Robin." Batman said firmly.

Clark let out a chuckle. The Bat glare fell on him, but he just smirked. He found it so amusing. Batman would never admit how jealous he was. "Tell him that we'll finish once he wakes up." He said. Batman grunted in agreement. "And don't forget our meeting at noon."

"I'm the one who planned it, Kent. I know." Batman said dryly.

Superman just smiled and flew away.

* * *

><p>Two hours later Dick still hadn't woken up. Not for real anyway. A couple times he'd blearily opened his eyes and asked what happened next before Bruce would shush him back to sleep. Bruce wasn't sure why he was so tired. The kid had gotten over six hours of sleep, which was rather good considering he'd been fighting criminals all night. Usually a quick nap would have the boy bouncing around the tower in no time.<p>

"Robin, wake up." Batman said softly as he shook him. He looked at the clock. The meeting started in ten minutes. "Robin…"

"Did we get them?" Robin mumbled.

Batman hid his smile. "It's time to wake up, Robin."

"Oh." Robin sat up slowly and looked around. When he looked up at Batman his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were wide.

"I have a meeting. How about you go watch TV in the entertainment room, ok?"

"Ok." Robin agreed.

Batman escorted him to the room. The boy was so tired he barely noticed. He just walked as if in a daze and sat in front of the tv. Bruce made a mental note to see if the boy had been having nightmares again. Maybe that was why he was so tired now.

He'd worry about it later. For now Robin was fine. With a soft goodbye, Batman left the room.

* * *

><p>Robin stared at the tv, not really registering what was on. He didn't feel good. His mind couldn't focus, his stomach felt bad, he had a headache, and he was really cold. He huddled up with his Flash blanket. He wanted someone to hold him again.<p>

Shakily Robin climbed off the couch. Where was Batman? He wouldn't mind if Robin was there, would he? Robin didn't care either way.

He set off towards the meeting room. As he approached voices could be heard. Angry voices. Robin winced. Why were they so _loud?_

"-is the most idiotic-"

"-isn't true-"

"-if you'd think-"

Robin moaned softly. Why were John and Shayera fighting right now? It made his head hurt. He almost thought twice about going in, but then he remembered Batman would be there. And Batman always made everything better.

He knocked on the door. "We're in a meeting!" Sheyera shouted.

Dick couldn't help the small sob in his voice. "Batman?" He whispered.

Only Superman's hearing picked the sound up. "It's Robin." He informed them.

Batman sighed and got up. "Robin, I told you we're…" he trailed off when he saw the small figure. "What's the matter?" His voice had changed to a soft cooing sound.

"I don't feel good." Dick whimpered.

Batman's gloved hand fell on his forehead. "You're burning up." Batman muttered. He pulled Dick into his arms, already striding towards medical bay.

"No, I'm cold." Dick said as he curled closer to his father.

"What else hurts?"

"My stomach is yucky… and I have a headache." He mumbled.

"It sounds like you caught a cold."

Dick nodded. "I'm cold." He agreed. Bruce chose to ignore his misconception. Instead he pushed open the doors to medical. Dick shivered in the colder air and pulled his Flash blanket closer.

Batman placed his bundled up Robin on a bed and went rummaging through the cabinets for medicine. "Take this." He murmured as he handed Robin some ibuprofen. The fact that the boy took it without complaint was a sign of just how bad he felt. He took Robin's temperature and set about making the boy comfortable.

"Batman I'm _cold_." Dick whined.

"I know." Bruce took off his cape and wrapped it snuggly around Robin. "Just hold on another moment. I'll see if we have any more medicine."

He went back to the cabinets. A minute later Dick had climbed off the table and wrapped him arms around Bruce's leg. "I'm tired." He whispered.

Bruce stopped looking when Dick turned his gaze upwards. His face was flushed red, snot dripped from his nose, and he looked ready to collapse. Bruce's heart melted as he picked up his little bird. "Ok." He murmured into the boy's hair. "We'll take you back home."

"I wana stay here with you." The boy insisted. His arms wrapped around Bruce's neck and a fiery forehead was pressed against his collar. "Please?"

"Alright." Bruce couldn't say no to his pathetic tone. He carried Dick back to his little used room at the watch tower. "Go to sleep." He murmured.

He started to put Dick into the bed but the boy climbed back into his arms. "'Wana stay wif you." He slurred.

"Ok." Bruce agreed again. He tucked Dick closer and wrapped another set of blankets around him. The boy sighed in contentment and was soon fast asleep.

"Hey, is he ok?" The door opened and Ollie, Barry, and Clark stuck their heads in the doorway.

"He has a cold." Bruce whispered back.

The three men trailed into the room. "He's burning up." Barry mumbled as he placed a hand on the boy's forehead. "Is wrapping him in the blankets a good idea?"

"He says he's cold." Bruce shrugged.

"Poor kid." Ollie sighed.

"This is your fault." Clark muttered.

Bruce's eyes widened. "_Mine?"_

"You kept him out last night." Clark said.

Ollie gave a groan. "Really, Bruce? Come on. It was raining!"

"Crime doesn't stop because of rain."

"So go out alone. Poor kid." Barry said, shaking his head.

Bruce just growled. He didn't want to admit it, and never would out loud, but they were right. He hadn't thought. He didn't catch colds so he'd just assumed Robin wouldn't either. He kept forgetting that no matter how good Dick was at fighting criminals, he was still just a kid. Only eight years old.

"Is there anything we can do?" Clark asked.

"He just needs to sleep. He wanted to stay here though."

Barry smiled slightly. "When he wakes up we can come in and read him stories. He'd like that, right?"

Batman nodded.

The four were silent for awhile, watching the sleeping child. He tossed in his sleep, tangling up the blankets. Batman gently would pull them back into place, only to have them pulled away again.

Dick's eyes flickered open as Bruce rearranged them once more. "Daddy?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Hmm?" Bruce hummed softly.

"I love you." Dick whispered before falling asleep again.

The three could say it was the first time they'd seen a smile like that on Bruce's face. "I love you too." He murmured into the boy's hair.

"How cute." Barry chuckled.

Batman sent them all a glare, immediately becoming self conscious. "Don't you have work to do?"

* * *

><p>"I feel bad for the kid." Flash said. After being banished from the room by Batman the three had retreated to one of the smaller kitchens. "I wish we could do something."<p>

"Batman is with him. He'll be fine." Clark said.

"Yea, he's with his _daddy_." Flash snickered. It wasn't funny that he'd called him 'daddy'. It was just funny how Bruce's face had lit up. It was the first time he'd seen Batman truly smile in costume.

Ollie shrugged. "Technically though it was Batman who made him sick in the first place. Even I'm not that bad with Roy. But at least he's older than Dickey."

"I wish there was something we could do." Flash said again.

Superman's face lit up. "We could make soup." He said. "Ma always made chicken soup when someone would get sick."

"Of course! It's a cure all." Green Arrow agreed enthusiastically.

"I'll go call her for the recipe." Superman flew out of the room. A few minutes later he was back with a list of instructions and ingredients. "Ok, we need noodles, chicken, some water, carrots, celery…" He rattled off the ingredients and Flash fetched them while Green Arrow searched the small kitchen for pots.

"Ok, so now we have to bring the water to a boil…" Superman said.

Green Arrow followed dutifully and set the pot on the stove. They didn't know how much water the recipe called for, so he filled it to the brim. Flash was cutting up the vegetables and throwing them into the pot.

"It's not boiling yet." Green Arrow complained. How long did it take for a pot of water to boil? It seemed to be taking too long.

They waited another minute. "Here." Superman used his heat vision and in seconds the water was boiling hot. So hot in fact that it bubbled over and sent a spray of soup around the room.

"Hot!" Flash exclaimed as a splotch landed on his arm. He sped under the table.

Ollie had grabbed a lid, using it as a shield and failing miserably.

In less then two minutes the room was covered in soup and the boys were nursing small burns.

"What's going on in here?" A deep voice grumbled from the door way.

Superman smiled sheepishly at Batman. "We were trying to make soup for Robin."

"Speaking of which, why aren't you with him?" Flash asked, finally deciding it was safe to come out from under the table.

A dark look crossed over Batman's face. "Joker escaped. I need you to watch him for me."

"Joker?"

"Robin." Batman glanced at the room once more before deciding he didn't want to know. "Take care of him." He warned. The 'or else' at the end didn't need to be spoken. With a final look, Batman strode out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Daddy?" Robin mewed softly as his eyes opened. He blinked in confusion when it was Ollie's face who greeted him. "Where's daddy?"<p>

"Batman's out on a mission."

Dick's lip trembled softly. "But… but daddy said he wouldn't leave me." Dick whimpered.

"He didn't want to." Ollie assured him quickly. "He had to. Joker escaped."

"I should help him." Dick said. He attempted to sit up.

Green Arrow chuckled softly. "Not today Robin." He murmured. "Today you're going to stay at the tower."

"But I want to help." Dick whined.

The blonde man laughed again. He picked up the child. "Maybe later. How about we go get you some food? Flash, Superman, and I made you soup."

"You cook?" Robin mumbled.

"You bet." Ollie brought the boy into the kitchen where they'd finally gotten the soup made correctly. The men poured Dick a bowl and watched as he ate it sleepily.

"How do you feel now?" Superman asked.

Robin shrugged. "Tired, but not as bad." Robin sipped some more soup and gave them a tired smile. "It's really good." He offered. "It tastes like Alfred's."

Superman beamed. "It's my Ma's recipe."

Flash sprinted to Robin's side. "So what do you want to do today? We still have the stories if you-"

"The stories!" Robin exclaimed. He stared at Flash with wide eyes. "I fell asleep. I'm sorry."

Flash chuckled. "It's ok. Do you want me to finish?"

Robin nodded furiously. "Yes please!"

The next two hours were spent with Superman and Flash alternating in telling their stories. Green Arrow stayed the whole time, offering his own commentary, which usually the others didn't appreciate.

"How come Batman doesn't have super speed?" Robin asked with a yawn. He cuddled further into Green Arrow's arms.

"Batman's just a human." Ollie reminded him.

Robin shrugged. "Yea… but he's Batman." The boy rubbed his eyes blearily. "It would be cool if he had powers."

"And scary. He's already strong enough as is. Imagine him with powers." Flash said.

Robin yawned again. "I'm hungry."

A moment later another bowl of soup was placed before him. Robin ate slowly. His eyes were closing even as he shoveled another mouthful down.

"Think you want to go back to sleep?" Superman asked.

"Not sleepy." Dick whined.

"No?" Superman chuckled. "Ok. Maybe later."

Dick nodded firmly. "Later." He swallowed a few more spoonfuls before a yawn came over him. Blearily he rubbed his eyes. Within a few moments he was asleep.

"Poor kid." Ollie murmured. He stroked the boy's hair. He was burning up even though he insisted he was so cold. "We should probably put him back to sleep."

Flash looked at the clock. "I have to go pick Wally up from day camp soon. I'll be back for monitor duty after dinner though."

"And I have to go to work." Superman said. "So I won't get back until later either."

The two looked at Ollie. "Think you can handle him?" Barry asked.

Ollie laughed. "Of course! This is _the_ Oliver Queen you're talking to."

Superman nodded. "Right. I'll call Dihna."

* * *

><p>Dick was sleepy. So sleepy that he was barely sure if he was awake. He felt warm blankets on top of him and there was someone singing a lullaby. It was nice and he didn't feel like waking up. He snuggled further under the covers and mumbled a soft sigh of content.<p>

"Hush my little Robin." A voice murmured gently. A cool hand stroked his hair.

Dick's eyes shot open. "Mama?" He whispered. Only his mother ever called him her little robin.

"Hush, Robin." Another feminine voice said softly. The blankets were pulled back over him.

Dick struggled to sit up anyway. "Mommy!" He turned around hopefully, a smile already on his face. But his smile faded when it was only Diana and Dihna.

"Go back to sleep Dickey." Dihna whispered. "You're sick. You need your sleep."

"I thought…." Dick rubbed his eyes sadly. Of course it wasn't his mother. His mother had died. Dick sniffed a little. "I thought mommy…"

The two women shared a look. "Do you want to do something?" Diana asked gently.

Dick nodded quickly. He didn't want to think about his mother right now. Dihna lifted Dick into her arms and the two ladies carried the small child to the observation deck.

"Have you ever heard about the stars?" Diana asked as they looked out at the night sky. Below them they could see the Earth. Dick always loved this view.

"Roy taught me the constellations." Dick whispered.

"Did he tell you the stories?" she asked.

Dick shook his head. "They have stories?"

"Of course."

A small smile came over Dick's face. "When I was sick before," he said, "mommy would spend the day telling me stories. She said it was the best cure for the cold."

The women shared another look. "She was a very wise woman, then." Diana said.

And so they settled in as Diana told him to stories of the ancient Greeks and Romans and their stories for the stars.

* * *

><p>"Hello fellow Leaguers! How is—"<p>

"Shhh!" A collective hiss went up around the room as Aquaman walked into the Watch Tower.

"What?" He whispered back. It seemed most of the league had congregated in the main room and were all huddled near the couch. Was this a training exercise or something? If so, why hadn't he been informed?

"Robin is sleeping." Black Canary hissed at him.

"_Was_ sleeping." Hawkgirl corrected angrily.

A soft noise came from the couch and a tiny head poked up. "Daddy?" The boy inquired. He looked around the Watch Tower. Not seeing his father the boy's blue eyes welled with tears. "Where is daddy?" He demanded.

Green Lantern quickly went to his side. "I'm sure he'll be back soon." He promised.

"It's been forever." Dick complained. "Why isn't he back yet?" The boy's voice had a quaver to it and with the added stuffiness he seemed more adorable than ever before.

"Joker got lose." Superman reminded him. "It takes awhile for him to put him back in jail."

Dick shook his head weakly. "I want Daddy." He whimpered.

Wonder Woman quickly swept the child into her arms. "Batman will be back soon, I promise." She murmured into his hair. Dick wrapped his arms around her and curled up close. "What can we do right now?"

She sat on the couch and the rest of the League follow suit. Black Canary and Flash sat on either side while the other heroes littered the floor and the chairs surrounding it. Anyone who wasn't on a mission had devoted their full attention to the little boy. No one liked seeing him upset. For the past two hours Dick had wanted to see Bruce. He was getting worried and, being sick, all he wanted was his father.

"How about another story?" Superman suggested. Dick had been eating them up all day. Ever since he'd told them about his mother's 'cure' they'd done everything they could to oblige him. Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, and Green Arrow had gone through nearly every story they knew.

"Ok." Dick agreed.

This time there were other heroes around. They all moved in closer, surrounding the couch. Green Lantern was the first to volunteer.

One by one, the heroes all told stories. They told of battles they'd fought, of mysteries they'd solved, of ancient civilizations, and mystical objects. Dick listened in awe, entranced by the stories. Heroes came in went on missions, but there were always listeners surrounding the storytellers, listening with interest to the stories being told.

When Bruce entered the space station well into the next morning he was not expecting the sight before him.

Hawkgirl was telling a story to a group of about twenty listeners. Dick was sitting at attention, his eyes wide and a smile on his face. The other heroes were just as engulfed in the story as the eight year old was. Laughter erupted from the group as Hawkgirl dramatically swung her mace around.

Batman felt himself smiling. Hawkgirl finished the story with a bow and the people all clapped. That's when he finally made his presence known.

"Daddy!" Dick was the first to spot him. Bruce smiled as he took the boy into his arms, cuddling him close. Dick's arms circled his father's neck and he giggled happily.

"How are you feeling, Robin?" He asked gently.

"Ok." The boy grinned. "Everyone's been telling me stories. They make me feel better."

"Good." Batman actually smiled. "I think it's time for bed now."

"No. One more story." Dick begged.

Bruce sighed and sat down on the couch. "Alright. One more. What story do you want to hear?" It seemed like everyone had been taking turns.

Dick cuddled up against Bruce and gave him a small smile. "Our story." He said.

Batman hesitated. He didn't want to tell that story here with all the listeners. But Dick looked so hopeful that he really couldn't say no. With a deep sigh he agreed.

"Once upon a time," He started out slowly, "there lived a Bat and his faithful butler Alfred." Dick grinned and so Bruce continued. He kept his eyes on his son. "the Bat was very lonely though. Do you know why Dickey?"

"Because he didn't have a family." Dick said.

Bruce nodded. "But one day the Bat was flying through the forest and he met someone."

"A Robin." Dick piped up.

Bruce smiled. "That's right. He met a Robin. And the Robin was also lonely because his parents had gone to Heaven." He stroked Dick's hair. "So the Bat took the little bird under his wing."

"And he became the robin's new daddy." Dick whispered as his eyes began to droop.

"And then the Robin lived with the Bat. The Bat had never been happier in his life because his little bird made him smile, he made him laugh, and he brought happiness back into their home. So from then on the bird always stayed with the Bat,"

"Cause' they were a family." Dick mumbled.

"And they lived happily ever after." Bruce finished.

Dick's eyes had closed and his chest rose and fell slowly. Bruce smiled and pressed a kiss against the boy's forehead. He looked up and saw the hero's eyes on him. They all had goofy smiles on their faces, but Batman didn't glare at them. Instead he just stood and took Dick back to his room.

Bruce tucked the small boy into bed before climbing in beside him.

"Goodnight my little bird."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh goodness... I hope you enjoyed the fluff and that I didn't make it _too_ clishe. Next stories should be a bit different. More misunderstandings, cute robins, jealous Bats, and the three trouble makers are coming up next!**

**As always, please leave me a review! I love to hear your ideas and especially love hearing what you liked or didn't like about a story. Thank you very much.**

**Thanks for Reading!**


	18. Halloween Night

**A/N:** **You know that horrible feeling you get when you write something that you LOVE and then your computer somehow deletes it? Yea. That happened to me with this story… TWICE. So this is my anger-fueled writing that I did to try and re-write this for the third time. Somehow I don't feel it is as amazing as it was before, but sadly now there is nothing I can do besides glare daggers at my computer.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

><p>Robin was trying to pay attention, really he was. He knew he should be able to stay focused. He knew he should be looking for the escaped Scarecrow. They'd been at it for three days. Batman had been adamant that they be on the lookout, convinced that Scarecrow was going to strike soon. Robin knew he had to stay focused so he could find the Arkham escapee before he hurt anyone.<p>

Even though Robin knew all of this, his eyes kept trailing down to the streets below and the people who were going about.

It was Halloween. His very first Halloween ever. True, he'd been alive for more Halloweens before, but never before had he actually gone Trick-or-Treating. The circus always had shows on Halloween night so he'd never gotten to go trick-or-treating. This was his first chance to go… and he wasn't. Instead he was being Robin. And, try as he might, he couldn't help but stare longingly at the people down below.

"Robin." Batman snapped. His voice broke into Robin's thoughts and made the boy jump.

"I-I don't see him." Robin stuttered quickly, blushing under his mentor's dark gaze. Batman scowled.

"Stay alert." Batman warned. "Or you're going home."

"Yes sir." Robin said softly.

He knew he'd messed up. This was just one of the many times he'd been caught not paying attention on patrol tonight. But it was just so hard! He really wanted to go trick-or-treating. Everyone in his class was. There was even a big celebration that was going on in town square. It was sponsored by the City and there were games, contests, and candy. Everyone he knew was going to be there. Even Roy and Wally got to go trick-or-treating in their cities. But not Robin, because Batman and Robin could _never_ rest, not even on holidays.

"I'm going to check the next street over." Batman's voice one again jerked him from his thoughts. He quickly pulled his binoculars up, hoping that Batman hadn't noticed him watching a family below. Luckily Batman was looking the other way. "Stay alert. If you see him, don't act. Call me."

"Ok." Robin said, but Batman was already off.

Now he was trying to be diligent. His eyes scanned the rooftops. He trained his binoculars on the alley ways. Nothing seemed to be going on.

As his eyes scanned the street he suddenly gasped. There he was! There was Scarecrow. He was walking with a loping gait, carrying a heavy sack, as he walked up to a lady's house.

Robin jumped into the alley way besides his building and took off running. "Scarecrow!" He cried. He got out a batarang as he rushed towards the supposed villain, just as a lady opened the door.

"Oh my! What wonderful costumes we have here!" The lady laughed.

Robin froze as Scarecrow turned to him, a confused expression on his face. It was _a_ scarecrow, but not _the_ Scarecrow. It was just a man in a costume. Robin's face flushed as the man grinned at him. The scarecrow waved slightly before walking to the next house.

"Hello there, _Robin_." The lady said the name in a teasing tone, just like she would have addressed any other children in costume.

"Hi." Robin whispered softly, blushing.

"You have an excellent costume. The best Robin costume I've seen all night!"

Robin blinked. The lady didn't realize he really _was_ Robin. A small tentative smile spread over his face. As long as she didn't realize who he was then Batman wouldn't be mad at him! "Thank you."

"Here you go, sweetheart. You can take two, ok?" The lady held out a bowl full of candy to him. Robin's eyes lit up. He reached in, taking out two candy bars.

"Thank you very much!" He said. He flashed her another grin before running off. He hurried back to the alley way. Once he was sure no one had spotted him he extended his grappling hook. In a moment he was back on the rooftop.

"Where were you?" Batman growled.

Robin froze. He hadn't realized Batman was back. "I… I thought I saw Scarecrow." He whispered. "I wanted to make sure he didn't hurt anyone." Batman's eyes narrowed. "The lady didn't realize it was me." He said quickly. "She…uh… gave me candy."

Batman's glare didn't let up. "I told you that if you saw him you were to contact me."

"But I thought he was going to hurt her."

"Don't do that again." Batman snapped.

"I'm sorry." Robin whispered. He looked at the candy in his hands, suddenly feeling guilty. He'd messed up _again_. He held out his hands. "Here. I'm sorry." He said again.

Batman stared at the offered sweets. He sighed softly. "It's ok. Just don't do it again." Batman said gently. Carefully he wrapped his son's fingers back around the candy. The boy stared at him in confusion. "Go ahead." Batman said with a small smile. "Just try to behave, ok?"

A smile broke over Robin's face. "Thank you!" the boy squealed in delight. He rushed to the edge of the building, already breaking into the chocolate bar.

Batman watched him for a moment. Sometimes he forgot that Robin still was just a child.

Suddenly a loud buzz sounded in his ear. Batman hissed. "Master Bruce." Alfred's voice came from the com-link.

"What is it?" Batman asked. He stepped away from Robin so he wouldn't hear the conversation.

"You know what." Alfred's voice had just a hint of anger in it and a load of disappointment. Bruce winced. A disappointed Alfred was one of the worst things in the world.

"I don't actually."

"It's his first Halloween, sir." Alfred said.

"We have to protect the city. Scarecrow-"

"-will not be a problem. You'll know when he attacks. He hasn't for the past four nights though, and certainly not in the past four hours." There was a pause. "He's never gone trick-or-treating before."

Bruce winced. He looked over his shoulder at the little bird. Robin was happily munching on his candy bar. His legs hung over the edge of the roof and swung back and forth. His binoculars were trained… on the ground. Bruce sighed. Dick most definitely was looking at the people below. How had he not noticed?

"We can't." Bruce said. "We don't have costumes or-"

"- and just what, Master Bruce, do you think you're wearing?"

Batman scowled. "We can't go like _this_."

"Of course you can. There are plenty of Batman and Robin costumes on the market. No one will notice."

"But-"

"Master Bruce." Alfred sounded exasperated. "Let the boy have some fun! He's only eight."

Batman looked once more at the little boy. "Fine." He agreed. He turned off his com-link and went to Robin's side. "What do you see?" He asked.

"They're passing out gummy-worms!" Dick exclaimed in delight. Then he froze, a blush coming over his face. "I-I mean… uh… I don't see him."

Bruce couldn't help but chuckle. "Gummy worms, huh?"

"Y-yea."

Gently Bruce pulled the binoculars from his grasp. "Why don't we get some?"

Dick's masked eyes looked up at him. "Really?" a smile formed. "Really? We can go trick-or-treating?"

"Yes. I'll get an evidence bag from the car and we can go around."

"We don't have to look for Scarecrow? We can have fun?" The boy cried, jumping up and down.

"If we see him, we have to stop. But otherwise, we'll do whatever you want."

The boy gave a whoop and wrapped his hands around Batman's waist. "Thank you!"

* * *

><p>"Batman! Batman, guess what?" Dick came running back to him after another stop. "The lady gave me two pieces of candy because she said I was the best Robin she'd ever seen!"<p>

Bruce smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "Of course you are." He said affectionately. He knew it was silly, but hearing everyone gushing over Robin made him feel strangely proud.

Dick grinned. "She said you had a good Batman costume too." The boy giggled. He dropped the candy in the evidence bag Batman was holding then rushed off to the next house.

He had, somewhat inadvertently, ended up going around with a group of other children. There were three in batman costumes, two in robins, one Superman, and then a few other Halloween costumes. Robin glanced sideways at one of the other people pretending to be him. Because the press had never really gotten a photo of his costume, the ones marketed were just _wrong._ This version gave him blue leggings and had yellow feathers. The batman costumes were just as different.

"Nice costume." The boy in the blue-Robin costume said.

"Thanks." Dick smiled. The lady handed him a thing of skittles, which he thanked her for. "You have a nice costume too." He lied.

"Really?" The boy grinned. "Do you think I look like Robin?"

"Sure."

"What about my brother? Does he look like Batman?" He pointed to his older brother who had one of the many Batman costumes on. For some reason this one had eyebrows painted onto the cowl and it was a bluish purple. Dick frowned when he saw a gun on the belt.

"Batman doesn't use guns." Dick said firmly.

"Sure he does." The older brother said.

"No he doesn't."

The boy shrugged. "Yea, but it would be cool if he did."

Dick frowned at the boy. "No it wouldn't. Killing is bad."

"Yea but-"

"Are you entering the costume contest?" The younger brother cut into their talk.

"What costume contest?"

"The one down in the town square." The boy said. "You could probably win. It's only for people who made their own costumes. We're going there next. They're having games and candy!"

Dick grinned at the mention of games. That did sound like fun. He thanked the blue-feathery-robin and rushed back to Batman. "Can we go to town square?" He asked, bouncing up and down in excitement. "I want to play games."

Bruce frowned. Being in this part of town was one thing. There weren't tons of people around. He could deal with that as it was unlikely anyone would realize they were the real Batman and Robin. But town square? There would be tons of people. Someone might recognize him as either Bruce Wayne or as Batman.

But Richard's enthusiasm won. Bruce could simply not say no to him. Especially not now when he was having so much fun.

"Alright." Bruce agreed. He took Dick's hand and they walked to town square. As they got closer the crush of people grew. Men, women, and children in costumes crowded the streets. The sidewalks were packed with vendors and sponsored booths and games. Everyone had to walk in the streets. No cars would be able to get in it was so crowded.

Bruce lifted Dick into his arms, not wanting to lose him. "There! Can we go play that game?" Dick pointed to a ring toss.

Dutifully, Bruce followed his little bird's orders. He allowed him to play the ring toss, then wack-a-mole, and the three legged race and others. He couldn't help but feel the same pride when his little boy won a game. Richard was never _too_ good, he made sure to let others win, but when he lost it was always on purpose. And Bruce couldn't help but feel smug.

"Can I go get candy now?" Richard asked, tugging at his father's hand. Robin was staring to wear down from all the excitement.

"Alright. Come back as soon as your done." Bruce instructed. By habit he fell into the shadows.

Robin on the other hand dashed up to the tables. Many of the different businesses had gotten tables to give candy and flyers out at. Richard went up to each.

"Hello Commissioner!" Dick said cheerfully as he went to the police's table.

Commissioner Gordon did a double take. "Robin?" He questioned. He'd seen tons of 'Robin' costumes tonight. This one… well he could have sworn it was _the_ Robin.

"That's me." The boy said. The Commissioner couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"That's uh.. a good costume." He said.

"Thanks." The boy grinned. "Can I have a pack of gummy worms, please?"

The commissioner handed over the worms, still blinking at the boy. He was confused. If this was _the_ Robin, what was he doing wearing his costume out? And if was just some kid, he sure had a great costume.

He knew that if it was the real Robin, he shouldn't be following him. He trusted Batman and didn't want to break that trust by inadvertently discovering the boy's identity. Yet he couldn't help as his eyes followed the boy. The child had run back towards the shadows where a Batman was waiting.

And there was no mistaking Batman. That was _The Batman__**. **_

"I have to see something." Commissioner Gordon muttered. He left the table, slowly moving towards Batman and Robin. He just had to figure out what was going on. Why was Batman taking Robin trick or treating? Why wasn't he searching for Scarecrow like the rest of the police force who hadn't been forced to go here? Why was he… happy?

Gordon froze. Batman was smiling. He pulled Robin into his arms, nuzzling the boy's head. From his position a few feet away he could hear a deep laugh and Robin's lighter one. He saw Robin point off at the Jack-o-lanterns, and off they went.

Slowly Gordon approached. Maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe they were just really good costumes. After all, some people had money to burn here. Perhaps they'd just made a great replica.

However, when he heard them speaking he knew that wasn't so.

"Look, Batman! They have one of us." Robin exclaimed, pointing out one of the carved pumpkins. "Can we make one like that?"

"Maybe next year, Robin." Batman said. Gordon realized they weren't using real names.

"Look! There's one of the Justice League! Can I go look?"

"Alright." Batman put the boy down and he took off running. Batman never took his eyes off the boy, but he took a few steps back, suddenly at Gordon's side. "What is it Commissioner?" Batman's voice was down to its usual growl.

"I was just wondering what was going on." Gordon said.

"Undercover work." Batman said with a hint of a smile.

Gordon frowned. "You think Scarecrow will attack here?"

"Yes." As soon as Gordon had said the words Bruce realized he was right. What better place for the Scarecrow to attack? It was _Halloween Night_. This place was crowded, so crowded that escape would be impossible. If all he wanted to do was cause havoc, which was probably the case, this was ideal.

Why hadn't he thought of it sooner?

"Batman!" Dick was running back to his side. "The Justice League pumpkin was really cool. But they made Superman fat, and they forgot me." The boy smiled at Gordon. "Hi again Commissioner."

"Should we be doing anything to keep the place safe?" Gordon asked. "Should we evacuate?"

"Too late." Bruce muttered as a sudden explosion came from the center stage. Jack-o-lanterns exploded and people screamed as Scarecrow's shadowy figure appeared.

"Hold this." Batman ordered. He shoved the bag of candy into the Commissioner's hands.

Then, Batman and Robin were off.

* * *

><p>When the Batmobile pulled into the cave an hour later its occupants were exhausted. Exhausted, but thoroughly happy.<p>

"I trust tonight went well?" Alfred asked as Bruce opened the door. He pulled a sleepy Robin out of the car. The boy latched onto his leg, too tired to move on his own.

"Very well, right Dickey?"

"Yea." The boy gave a smile as he turned to Alfred. "We went trick or treating _and_ we caught the Scarecrow."

"Good work." Alfred said. He took Dick aside to change him into his pjs while Bruce changed himself.

"See Alfred? That's my candy." Dick pointed sleepily to the bag Bruce had pulled from the car.

"Yes I see."

"And daddy let me go." Dick said.

"Yes."

"We got candy and then we played games, and saw pumpkins…"

Alfred looked over at Bruce who was laughing softly. "I see you had a great time." He said to the sleepy child. The boy was struggling to relay to Alfred everything that had happened.

"then Scarecrow attacked and he blew up all the jack-o-lanterns!" Dick said. "And we stopped him." The boy yawned widely as Bruce pulled him into his arms.

"I think it's time for a little bird to go to bed now." Bruce said.

"Not sleepy." Dick whined. "Alfred, it was so cool. And all these people were there and they clapped for us."

"Dickey…"

"There were a lot of people dressed as us but their costumes were silly."

"Bed time."

"And I was the best Robin out of anyone!" Dick proclaimed loudly before he yawned yet again.

Bruce chuckled. "Yes, you were." He agreed softly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! This is the first story I've written (well, re-written) in awhile. If people like the Halloween story, I may post another one before the day that includes Roy and Wally.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Halloween Frights

**A/N: People wanted another Halloween story with Roy, Wally, and Dick. I tried to write it, but somehow this is what came out. Ugh… I wanted to post it before Halloween though, so enjoy anyway. **

**This would take place at the same time my last Halloween story was set, so this is Dick's first time trick or treating. **

**Dick is eight, Wally is ten, and Roy is thirteen.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

><p>Someone was ringing their doorbell. Not once, not twice, but constantly. As if someone was just leaning against it, waiting for them to answer. In his study Bruce groaned. He didn't have time for this. He had two cases to go over, a Riddler to find, three mission reports to write for the JLA, and two forms to look over.<p>

No one was getting the door though and the buzzing was getting to his head. Where was Alfred?

"I'll get it!" He heard Dick call and Bruce jumped up.

"Dick!" He rushed into the hall, intercepting the child. "Dick, you aren't supposed to answer the door." He scolded. Maybe it was tad too overprotective to keep Dick from answering the door, but in Gotham you never knew who could be there.

"They're being annoying." Dick complained.

"I'll get it." Bruce said firmly. Dick followed him to the door,

When he opened the heavy oak door a cry of "Trick or Treat!" was screamed.

Bruce just stared. A mummy, gorilla, Robin Hood, and a ghost stood at his door. "Well Bruce? Are you going to let us in?" The ghost, now identified as Oliver Queen, asked.

"What are you doing here?" Bruce demanded. "What are you wearing?"

"It's a gorilla suit. Where is _your_ costume?" Barry, the gorilla, asked.

Dick poked his head around Bruce's legs. "Hi guys!" He said, grinning at Robin Hood-Roy and Mummy-Wally.

"Where is your costume, Dick?" Wally asked. He sped past Bruce's legs to his best friend. "Aren't you coming trick-or-treating with us?"

Dick frowned. "Am I?" He looked up at Bruce.

He hadn't been informed about going trick or treating. As far as Bruce was concerned the holiday, like most others, didn't exist. He had work to do, which overrode trick-or-treating.

"Of course you are, Master Richard." Alfred said as he entered with a smile on his face. "Your costume is upstairs on the bed."

"I'm going trick or treating?" He asked excitedly. He'd asked Bruce before if he could go and his mentor had said 'no'. He hadn't thought he'd actually get to go even though he'd wanted to so badly!

"No." Bruce said at the same time that Alfred said "yes."

A smile flew across Dick's face and he rushed upstairs with Wally and Roy on his heels.

Bruce scowled. What was going on? "What are you two even doing here? Shouldn't you be in your cities?" He asked the gorilla and ghost.

Barry laughed as he pushed past Bruce. "Come on, Bruce. You knew about this. Tonight is the Justice League Halloween party. Roy is taking the kids trick or treating around here while we go to the party."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"He didn't know." Ollie said with a sigh. "Come on, Bruce, you have to come!"

"I don't have to do anything. I have work." He looked up the steps where his son had disappeared to. "What about the kids?"

"Roy is taking them. It'll be fine." Ollie insisted. "Come on. If you don't, Clark will have a fit."

"Go on, Master Bruce." Alfred said. "Master Dick will be perfectly fine with Roy and Wally."

Bruce scowled but he didn't argue. "Fine. But I'm not wearing a costume."

A few moments later the children were back downstairs. "Bruce! Bruce, do you like my costume?" A tiny figure barreled into Bruce's side.

"Yes, it's wonderful." He said automatically. He pried Dick from his leg and finally got a look at him. Dick was dressed as the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, complete with gloves, hat, shirt, and hay sticking out. He smiled slightly at the sight. His son _did_ look cute.

"Can we go now?" Roy asked tiredly. The older boy was carrying three pillowcases, one for each of them.

"Not yet. We need photos." Barry said. He pulled a camera out from somewhere in the gorilla suit. "Iris said to get as many photos as possible."

The boys dutifully lined up for photos. Dick was grinning from ear to ear in all the photos. His excitement was contagious and soon even Roy was sporting a small smile.

"I want one with Uncle Barry." Wally said as he dragged his gorilla-uncle over for a photo. Dick hurried to Bruce's side, looking up expectantly.

"Are you going to get into your costume?" He asked.

"I'm not wearing a costume."

Dick frowned. "Yes you are."

"Maybe the Batman outfit but-"

"Alfred got you a Tin Man outfit."

Bruce looked over at the butler. "Did he now?" He grumbled.

"It was so you and Master Richard would match." The old man said with a smile. The words made Dick's eyes light up and he pulled at Bruce's pant legs.

"See? You _have_ to dress up so we'll match!" Dick insisted. And Bruce couldn't say no to those wide-eyed baby blues.

He went upstairs to change quickly into the outfit. He could always change out of it once Dick was gone. It seemed silly for them to be matching when they weren't even going to be in the same place. But, for his son, he changed anyway.

The smile on Dick's face when he reentered the room made it worthwhile. Dick grabbed his hand excitedly. "Daddy and I match!" He announced to everyone. He then proceeded to drag Bruce over for photos.

Fifteen minutes later photos had been taken, rules had been laid out, cell phones had been checked, and the boys were ready to go. Even Roy, who had complained multiple times about going, was eager to leave.

"Alright, behave!" Ollie called after the kids as they walked down the manor's driveway to the streets below.

Bruce wished now that he had insisted on going with them. As his son turned the corner, disappearing into the dark, he was suddenly reminded of all the things that could go wrong. Someone could kidnap them. Maybe Two Face had gotten loose. Someone could be handing out poisoned candy. Who knew what could happen? He was starting to fear the worst when Barry grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Bruce. We have to get to the party." The speedster insisted. "Clark said they have a buffet full of food. I want to get it before it's all gone."

* * *

><p>"Roy, I don't think this is the right way to go." Dick said as Roy steered them around the bend and back up towards the house. "We're supposed to go trick-or-treating at other houses."<p>

"Yea, Roy, the street is that way." Wally added.

"Hold on, I just need to get something from Ollie's trunk. Then the _real_ fun can begin." The archer grinned as they circled back around to the Manor's garage where Ollie had parked his car. Roy opened the trunk, producing a toilet paper and egg stash.

Dick frowned. "Roy," He whined. "we're supposed to get _candy_ tonight!"  
>"That's for losers." Roy said. He opened his bag and started loading the eggs into it. "This is what's fun."<p>

"What's fun about eggs and toilet paper?" Wally asked.

"It's fun when you throw them at people's houses. That's what." Roy said with a smirk. "Open your bag, Wally. I'll put the toilet paper in there."

Wally listened, watching with interest. "Why do we do that?"

"It's the 'trick' in trick-or-treat." Roy said irately. Couldn't they stop complaining already? He hadn't wanted to go tonight at all. There was a Halloween party someone at his school was hosting that he'd wanted to go to. But, if he wasn't going there, he'd at least have some fun. Maybe he'd be able to teach these kids what having a _real_ fun time was like.

"Isn't that bad?" Dick asked.

"No. Are you coming or not?"

"I'm coming!" Dick insisted.

Then, grinning, Roy led them back towards the streets. It was only a matter of time until they came upon a group of boys egging a house. After all, it was Gotham. "Come on." Roy said. He ran to catch up with the group. Wally and Dick hurried after them.

The group didn't mind at all when Roy reached into his bag, pulled out an egg, and lobbed it at the house. "Come on." He instead to Dick and Wally.

The two younger kids hesitantly followed suit. Wally grabbed one and threw it. It cracked against the window and he let out a small giggle. Roy shouted as he threw another one and it landed on the roof. Wally was laughing this time when his egg hit the doorbell. Seeing the fun his friends were having Dick quickly joined in, throwing an egg as well. He laughed as it splattered across the front porch.

Just then the door opened and a man came out, yelling at the gang. The boys all took off. Roy, Wally, and Dick followed the group as they ran out of sight.

"Nice aim." One boy said. They were older than them. Every one of them was at least fifteen. They all were wearing terrifying masks. They were all wearing biker jackets too. Dick took a step behind Wally. Roy however just grinned back at them.

"Thanks."

"What are the kids for?" the boy, apparently the leader, asked as they looked behind the red-head at Wally and Dick.

Roy shrugged. "Their parents wanted me to take them trick or treating, but this is a lot more fun."

"Cool. You can join us." The leader said. "This way."

The next house they toilet-papered the trees until a man came out of the house, yelling at them again. Two more houses later, every one of them the same. They'd egg or toilet-paper it until someone would come out. Dick was starting to notice something else though.

He tugged on Roy's sleeve as they regrouped. "Roy," He whispered urgently, pulling the older boy down to his level. "How come they're egging the police's houses?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Every house we've gone to is one of a police officer." Dick said.

"Yea, what of it?" One of the boys asked.

Dick jumped and ducked behind Wally. There was something else about these boys that he didn't like. Something seemed wrong. "Nothing." Dick said quickly.

The leader snorted. "It's just some fun." He said. "A way to get back at them for what they've done to our pops."

That's when Dick realized just who these people were. They were the sons of one of the most recent gangs he and Batman had taken in. The men were all rich and had dealt in the drug trade. Their boys all went to the same prestigious school. He remembered that the media had made a frenzy over it. While their parents had been in jail the boys had taken over the drug trade themselves.

"Roy, I think we should go." Dick whispered as the gang members started talking about which house they would egg next.

"Come on, Dickey, not chicken are you?" Roy teased.

"No." He started to protest.

"It's just some fun." Roy insisted.

"Roy, they're a _gang_." Dick hissed. "They're bad."

"We're what, kid?" A boy asked. Dick froze.

"Nothing." Dick said again.

"What? Did you just realize you were dealing with the Red Gang?"

"I..." Dick looked up at Roy. The archer's brow furrowed in confusion.

The gang member wearing a particularly gruesome clown mask took a step towards him. "Do you have something against us, kid? Against our pops?"

"You broke the law." Dick said firmly. He squared his shoulders. He shouldn't be afraid of these people. He'd beaten them up just a few weeks ago with Batman. He didn't need to be scared.

"So what if we did? So does everyone else in this town. Have a problem with that?"

"Yes."

That was the wrong thing to say. The thug whipped out a gun. Roy jumped in front of Wally and Dick. "Woa! Hey, put that down." He said quickly.

"Make me."

Roy's eyes narrowed. In a second he'd grabbed the bow and arrow off his back, aiming at him. "Go away or I will." Roy hissed.

Another thug laughed. "The kid wants a fight, does he?"

"With a bow and arrow? What does he think he'll do?"

That was the last straw. Roy's arrow flew. It exploded into a next, sending the boy crashing to the ground. As soon as the one member was down the others jumped up, ready to take his place. Suddenly they all had their guns out.

"Wally." Roy said quickly.

The speedster was off. Before they could blink he was running around, knocking them all to the ground. Then Dick was there, throwing batarangs out to pin them to the ground and knock their guns away. Roy shot off arrows in all directions, his nets keeping them down.

It was over before it had even begun.

"I'll call the police." Roy said, looking at the downed gang before them. They were struggling uselessly to get out of the nets.

Wally picked up their bags and grabbed Dick's hand. "Can we go trick-or-treating now?" He whined. "Egging houses was fun and all, but I really want candy."

Dick nodded in agreement. "Candy is definitely better." They picked up the bags, seeing the eggs and toilet paper left in there. "Let's get rid of this."

Wally grinned widely. "I know what we can do." He said. He grabbed one of the eggs and hurled it at the gang. It broke apart, splattering the netted-thugs with goo. Dick started laughing.

"Serves you right." He teased. He tossed an egg himself.

By the time the police arrived the three were gone but four netted groups of thugs were left, covered in eggs and toilet paper. Silently, they appreciated the irony.

* * *

><p>"I got a chocolate bar." Roy said as they walked away from another house. Oddly, he was having fun. The free candy wasn't bad. Neither were the girls who were going trick or treating. The fact that they all thought his 'little brothers' were cute and that he was awesome for taking them around didn't hurt either.<p>

But it wasn't just that. He was actually enjoying himself. The kid's joy- especially Dick's since it was his first time- was contagious and he found he was enjoying racing them to the next house, comparing and trading their candy, and trying to keep Wally from eating everything at once.

"I have a lolly pop." Dick announced as he dropped the candy into his heavy bag. "What did you get Wally?"

"Ptsy loll." Wally said around a mouthful of tootsie roll.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Wally, how many times do I have to tell you? You're supposed to wait until you get back to eat."

"But I want it _now_." Wally whined.

Dick giggled and elbowed his friend. "Race you to the next house!" He called, rushing off. The other two chased after him. Not surprisingly Wally won.

"That's cheating." Dick said as they rung the door bell.

"Nu-uh." Wally stuck his tongue out.

The door opened and they were about to yell "trick-or-treat!" when a cloud of smoke billowed out from the door. The three stopped, staring as a figure approached them through the smoke.

"Welcome children," someone said in a deep voice. "Enter… if you dare."

Wally's eyes widened and he jumped back from the door. "It's ok. It's just a haunted house." Roy said. "Come on. It'll be fun."

The figure gave a deep laugh. "Enter." It repeated. It pointed down the dark hallway. Slowly the three made their way down. Decorations on the wall cast dark shadows, spider webs hung from the ceiling, and eerier sounds floated up from the basement to which they were being led.

Wally grabbed onto Roy's hand while Dick clutched at the older boy's leg. "This is scary." Wally whispered as they looked down into the basement. "I don't think we should go down. Nothing good ever happens in the basement in the movies."

"It's ok." Roy insisted. Even so he took a firmer hold on his bow. After all, this _was_ Gotham.

They made their way down the creaky steps. Lights flickered below, seeming to be from candles.

Suddenly there was a cackle and they heard child-like screams. Abruptly the screams faded while the cackling went on. Then it too died down.

"I don't like this." Wally said again.

"It's ok." Roy insisted. He had to drag the two downstairs, but finally the made it to the bottom of the steps.

They rounded the corner. A sudden revving sound made Dick give a scream. Someone jumped out of the shadows, wearing a hockey mask and carrying a chain saw. "Run!" The man yelled in a fearsome roar. Dick and Wally screamed. "Roy." Dick wailed.

The next instant two arrows were flying at the chainsaw. The rev of the chain stopped as it was cut. He shot another and then there was a burst of light as the saw sparked.

The man gave a yell and dropped the chainsaw. Someone across the room shouted and the lights were turned on.

"Crap." Roy muttered.

Three people all in costume stared at them. The man with the now broken chain saw wasn't scary. He was just a rather fat man in a costume. Across the room was a woman dressed as a vampire, sitting in a coffin with candles all around. Another person in a witch outfit was by the lights. They stared at the three kids in confusion.

"Um… sorry." Roy said slowly. He let his bow lower in embarrassment. He looked at his two friends, but they were just staring. "We were- uh- scared."

Still no one said anything. Roy gave a weak laugh, grabbed the boy's hands, and fled the scene. He didn't stop running until they were safely a street away.

"We're going to be in trouble." Wally said as soon as they'd stopped.

Dick however clung to Roy's leg, beaming up at the archer. "Thank you, Roy." He said happily.

"For what? Ollie is going to kill me." Roy said.

The scarecrow didn't seem to worry. "You saved us from him." the boy said plainly. "He was scary."

Roy sighed. "You're welcome." Maybe if Bruce thought he'd saved Dick then the parents wouldn't be so upset.

"Can we get more candy now?" Wally asked. "And no more haunted houses."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p>The party, surprisingly enough, hadn't been too bad. Bruce had actually had a good time. Well…an alright time. 'Good' was pushing it since Clark had worn a Cowardly Lion costume and had thought it hilarious that they'd matched. And Barry had eaten all the food within an hour. And he'd been worrying about Dick the whole time. But, on the plus side, Wonder Woman had dressed as Dorothy.<p>

He'd still insisted on coming home two hours early though, just to make sure the kids were ok. For the past two hours he'd been waiting and monitoring the children's progress, pleased that nothing seemed amiss. Just a few minutes ago Ollie and Barry had arrived back from the party to wait for their kids too.

It was only a matter of time before their kids came home. He waited anxiously as Barry and Ollie discussed the highlights of the party. Bruce barely paid attention. He was more worried about Dick.

Was he alright? Hadn't he told them to be home by nine? It was nine ten right now. What had happened? Maybe they'd been kidnapped, or hurt, or poisioned, or….

Just then the doorbell rang and three happy voices yelled "Trick or treat!" Bruce breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of their voices. They were safe.

He rushed out of the room to see his son. "Daddy! Daddy, guess what?" Dick threw himself at this father and Bruce easily swept the eight year old into his arms. "I got candy."

Bruce chuckled. "What else are you supposed to do on Halloween?"

"Egg and toilet paper houses." Dick said firmly.

Barry burst into laughter at his words but Ollie frowned. "Who told you that, Dickey?" Ollie asked.

"Roy did." Dick said with a grin.

Roy's face flushed as his mentor's angry glare turned to him. "Roy!" Ollie cried. "I thought after last year you'd have stopped. You promised you would."

"It was fun." Wally said. He rushed over to his Uncle to show all his candy. Already the speedsters had started making piles of the food on the floor, counting up the bounty. "At least until the guys tried to shoot us."

"They _what?"_ Bruce cried, clutching Dick to his chest.

"It was the Reds." Dick told him. "They were egging the police's houses and then they tried to shoot us, but it's ok because we turned them in."

"And we egged them." Wally giggled.

"Good going." Barry high fived him.

Bruce just stared at them. Someone had tried to shoot his son? While he wasn't in costume and didn't have on his body armor? Thank god he'd made sure Dick always had his utility belt with him. How had that even happened though?

His eyes honed in on Roy and the batglare came out in full force. "You were supposed to keep them safe." He growled at the archer.

Roy gulped. "I did." He said quickly. "I didn't realize it was a gang. But, I mean, no one got hurt."

"They could have been killed because of you."

"I didn't mean-"

"It's ok, daddy." Dick insisted. He leaned his head sleepily against Bruce's shoulder. "Roy saved us then and later when the guy with the chainsaw tried to kill us."

"What chainsaw?" Bruce exclaimed. He pulled away from Dick, now intently scanning him to make sure he was ok.

"It was a haunted house." Dick said.

"It was _really_ scary." Wally added before whining to his uncle about stealing his kit kat bars.

"But Roy shot the chainsaw before he could hurt us." Dick finished.

Bruce frowned as he pulled Dick back into his arms. It was settled. Next Halloween he was taking Dick around in a bullet proof vest and full riot gear.

"I'm sorry." Roy said softly, hoping it was the right thing to say.

Bruce just glared at him. "We'll discuss this later." He growled.

"Daddy, I want to get out my candy." Dick said as he tried to wiggle his way out of the Dark Knight's arms. Reluctantly Bruce let him go.

The rest of the night was spent on the floor while the kids sorted out their candy and traded with one another. Despite Bruce's instance that they should get the candy scanned before Dick ate any of it, Alfred over ruled him.

An hour and a half later, Dick had fallen asleep in Bruce's lap. Wally had collapsed from a sugar overload an hour ago and Barry had taken him home. That only left Roy and Ollie.

"Roy… let's talk about what happened." Bruce said slowly, fixing his gaze on the young archer.

The boy swallowed hard. He was dead. Batman was scarier than anything else on Halloween.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you very much for reading! This wasn't my best work (in my opinion) but I wanted to give you something else to read. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**I'm going to be working on a Christmas story soon, which may possibly turn into a multi-chapter fic. Is there anything with Wally, Roy, Bats, Alfred, or the Justice League that you'd like to see happen? Let me know!**

**Thanks again for reading!**


	20. Family

**A/N: I was suddenly inspired to write this and I'm really not sure why. But I did. It's very short, but I hope you enjoy anyway!**

**Warning: Tears may happen depending on how sensitive you are.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned.**

* * *

><p>Alfred walked into the kitchen. He had brought the customary tray of cookies and milk that he had for when Richard arrived home from school every day. He expected Richard to relay his day word for word the moment he stepped inside.<p>

Instead, all he was greeted with was silence.

The butler looked around the kitchen in confusion. There was no sign of the boy. His backpack lay in a discarded heap by the door with the contents spilling out. So obviously the boy had been here. But where was he now?

Setting the tray down Alfred tried to check the normal places. Maybe he'd gone to see Master Bruce in the study. Or perhaps there was a new television show he was excited about. Possibly he had gone into the Batcave to train. After these proved a fruitless search Alfred finally made his way to Richard's bedroom.

"Master Richard? Are you in there?" Alfred asked, knocking on the door.

It was absolutely silent and Alfred was about to leaved when there was a soft whisper of "come in."

Frowning, the butler opened the door. Seated on the bed, huddled under a pile of blankets, was Richard. He was clutching Batbear in one arm and Peanut, his old stuffed elephant, in the other.

"Richard?" Alfred's voice was soft. The boy turned his blue eyes on him and he could see tears forming. "What is it, Master Richard?"

Dick sniffed as Alfred sat beside him on the bed. "There… well… I'm graduating." He whispered.

"I know. You're graduating from second grade. We're all very proud of you."

Dick shook his head furiously. "I don't want to graduate."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"They're having that big ceremony thing for it." Dick mumbled. His eyes filled with tears at the thought.

"You don't wish to have the graduation ceremony?" Alfred asked. Personally he thought it was a good idea. The school congratulated all its students by giving them a fancy graduation ceremony. All the children received their diplomas and the parents watched and, honestly, it made the children feel very proud of themselves. At least, he thought that had been the case.

Dick took a deep breath. "No… it's not that… It's art class." Dick sniffed bravely, trying not to cry. "We have to make invitations for all our guests."

"I see…." Alfred said slowly.

"And the Art teacher gave us guidelines that they said we _had_ to follow. I tried to tell her that I couldn't follow them but she said that if I didn't I'd fail and I don't want to fail. So I was trying to do what she told me, I really was, but I just can't. Not like the other kids." Dick let out a whimper now. "See, they all have really big families so they're all making tons of them and we have to work on them for days but I just couldn't!"

"Master Dick, what exactly happened?" Alfred asked. If anything, he was just more confused.

"She said I had to make one for my mommy and daddy." Dick whispered. His voice broke and tears streamed down his tiny face. "She said if I didn't I'd fail and I told her that- that they'd d-died…. But she still made me make them."

Dick reached over the side of the bed and pulled out two pieces of paper. They were golden with the school emblem on the top. Written in his handwriting was "Dear Mommy, I hereby invite you to the graduation ceremony to be held at Gotham Academy in honor of me, Dick Grayson, for graduation second grade." It had the date and time also written. There were drawings around the side, of the Flying Graysons, of the circus animals, and at the bottom one of Richard and his mother hugging. The other card was much the same, only it was for Dick's father.

"-and… and now I don't know what to do b-because everyone else is making o-ones for their uncles, and aunts, and cousins and stuff but…but I don't have any." Dick was sobbing in full now. "And I can't give these to my Mommy and Daddy because they're _dead!"_

Alfred grabbed the tiny boy and hugged him tightly to his chest. He let the boy cry his heart out. He wasn't sure how long it lasted, him just holding the child and waiting for Dick's tears to subside. But finally, Richard's sobs stopped and he lay in Alfred's arms, just trembling a bit.

"I don't know what to do." Dick whispered.

"I know what we can do." Alfred said softly. "We can mail those to your parents, in Heaven."

Dick looked at Alfred, blinking furiously. "But… but Bruce said we couldn't contact them."

"Master Bruce doesn't know _everything."_ Alfred said firmly. "You can't get replies from them, but you can always send things to them. Small things like this always reach them."

"R-really?"

Alfred nodded, smiling firmly at the boy. "Come with me." He took the boy's hand and the invitations and went to another room. He found some envelopes and gave two to Dick. "All you have to do is address them. Then, you leave them out of sight, and while you're sleeping the Angels pick them up."

"Really?" Dick's eyes were glowing now in happiness. "So Mommy and Daddy can come?"

"They'll be there, watching." Alfred assured him.

He watched as the boy carefully wrote out _To Mommy and Daddy, Heaven _on the envelopes. Then, reverently, he placed his invitations inside the envelopes and sealed them up. "Where do I put them?" Dick asked.

"It has to be someplace no one will see them. Angels like to be secretive."

"Like in the greenhouse?" Dick asked. "It'd be really easy for them to get in then because it's close to the sky with all the windows. Right?"

"Perfect. Angels like beautiful places." Alfred and Dick walked to the greenhouse where Dick carefully placed his letters on a stool in the middle of the room. Then he carefully arranged the potted flowers around it to make it even more beautiful.

"There." Dick said proudly. "Now Mommy and Daddy will get the letter." He beamed up at Alfred and gave the old man a hug. "You're the best Alfred!"

The butler smiled down and stroked the boy's hair. "But they aren't your only family, are they Master Dick?"

"No. I have you and Bruce!"

"That's right. And then there are all your other friends. What about Master Clark or Miss Diana? They're part of your family too, are they not?"

"That's right." Dick said eagerly. "Uncle Clark, Auntie Diana, and then there's Uncle Barry and Wally, and Uncle Ollie and Roy and everyone else." Dick's smile spread across his face. "So in school when we make all the invitations I can invite them!"

Alfred nodded. "Exactly." Alfred said. He placed a hand on Dick's shoulders and steered him towards the kitchen. "Now, I do believe that there is a plate of cookies waiting for us in the kitchen."

* * *

><p>When Dick walked across the stage during the ceremony he looked out into the audience. Bruce was there, smiling proudly up at him. Alfred was beside Bruce and he nodded slightly, giving Richard a knowing, proud look. Clark was there. He was sitting beside Barry and the two of them were waving at him. Ollie, Dihna, and Diana were in the row behind. The women were taking photos. Roy and Wally sat beside them, making faces at Dick. Then Dick's eyes trailed back to Bruce. On the other side of him were two empty chairs.<p>

Well, not quite so empty. A ray of light flitted through the school windows, illuminating them, and just for a moment, Dick was sure he could hear his parent's voices, congratulating him.

A smile spread across his face.

His whole family was there.


	21. Ray of Sun

**A/N: I felt like I should write something again. Thanks so much to everyone for their reviews! Especially to those who just started reading my stories. They are really appreciated. I'd usually thank people but I haven't had a lot of time, so I will just thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the reviews, favorites, and everything.**

**So, to thank you for all of that, have some fluff.**

**Also, just a note since I get this question a lot:**

**1) Hawkgirl is Hawkwoman. They're the same person in my story. I've grown up with her being Hawkgirl so I've left her as that in my story. If she features more in YJ as an actual character I may change her name. Until then, they're the same in my story.**

**2) Yes, I do mean to write Monitor Womb. In Justice League (both the cartoon and the comics) they call their central monitoring room the "Monitor Womb". Weird, but again, that's what I've grown up with. So... enjoy your new knowledge!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

><p>"Oh crap!"<p>

"It's the Bat!"

"Run!"

Every single one of Penguin's men fled as soon as Batman's shadow fell over their hideout. Not one even so much as raised a gun to him. No one dared. They'd all heard what had happened to Two Face's gang last night. Someone had the nerve to shoot at him and now all but three of the gang were in body casts at Gotham's hospital. Two Face had even _surrendered_ to Batman.

"Penguin." Batman's growl was somehow deeper and more menacing than usual.

The short fat man with a beak-like nose immediately grabbed his umbrella, holding it in front of him like a shield. Its tip was pointed directly at Batman's heart. However, the possibly threatening look was ruined by the shaking going through the man's body. "Stay back or I'll shoot!" Penguin cried.

"Go on. I dare you." Batman hissed.

Penguin debated a moment. Did he really want to test that look? Batman's shoulders were tensed; his fists clenched tightly, his eyes narrowed, and his jaw locked. He was looking for a fight. Penguin gulped. He didn't want to end up like the men from last night. Or from this night.

He'd already heard. Batman was in a bad mood. There were very few times when Batman was in such a dark mood like this. The moods were never good for Gotham's underground. Even common street thugs got brutal punishment until most feared to put into action their plans. Batman was ruthless and more often than not, when he was in this mood, they were found out before they could even get started.

If Penguin hadn't already been halfway through this project he wouldn't have done anything at all. He knew better than to trifle with an angered bat. So very slowly he lowered his umbrella and held his hands up in surrender.

Batman's glare intensified, angry that he didn't get to beat the man senseless. Instead he grabbed a pair of cuffs and slapped them on Penguin.

"Did-did something happen to Robin?" Penguin asked as the sirens approached. He wasn't sure why he asked in the first place. _Obviously _something had happened to Robin. It was only Robin that could cause the Bat so much anger.

"No." Batman growled out. But the way he growled it only proved that Penguin was right. It was Robin.

Penguin coughed nervously as the police arrived on scene. They grabbed him, shoving him into the armored car. "I hope he gets better soon." He called to Batman. After all, when Robin was around, Batman was always nicer.

"Something happened to Robin?" Commissioner Gordon asked curiously as he went to Batman's side. Already the cops were clearing out. This had been their easiest week in a long time.

"No." Batman glared at him, making the Commissioner flinch. His gaze ran over the Commissioner for a moment. "Do you have a case for me?" He demanded.

"Nothing too important-"

Batman turned away from him before he could finish the sentence. If there wasn't work then Batman wasn't interested. He needed _something _to do.

"Did something happen to Robin?" Commissioner Gordon asked again.

"No. Robin is fine." Batman hissed. "Robin isn't a problem." That's all he said before he shot out his grappling hook and disappeared into the night.

* * *

><p>"Master Bruce, put that phone down this instant."<p>

Bruce jerked back like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He stared at the butler for a moment, then at the cell phone in his hand. The butler's hand was held out expectantly. Bruce growled but handed over the phone.

"I just wanted to check." Bruce growled.

"You wanted to make him come home." Alfred clarified. "Master Richard is perfectly fine right now and is most assuredly having a wonderful time. I would not suggest that you interfere with that."

"I was not going to make him come home." Bruce protested. "I just wanted to make sure he is alright!"

If Alfred was any weaker of a man he would have rolled his eyes. "I know quite well what you were thinking, Master Bruce, and the answer is no. Allow Master Richard his enjoyment."

"It's been six days."

"And it will be four more until he returns. You can survive that long." The butler's tone gave no room for argument. He confiscated Bruce's cell phone and returned to his duties around the manor.

Bruce sunk into his study's chair, glaring at the wall.

Why had he ever allowed Richard to go on that trip? At the time he'd thought it was a great idea. He'd been so proud of him for making it to the National Math competition. Since he was only in third grade, going for their second highest division was a great honor and Bruce had been so pleased. Dick had been so excited for the competition that Bruce had let him go without another thought.

He hadn't thought about the fact that the competition was being held in Orlando Florida. He hadn't thought about the fact that it would last ten days. He hadn't realized that that had meant he'd be without Richard's company for ten days.

Ten days without being able to keep an eye on him. Ten days not knowing if he was alright. Ten days of worrying, and hoping, and debating whether he should just rush down there to see his son. He would have had it not been for Alfred. The old man had insisted he let Richard do things on his own and make friends. Bruce never hated the idea so much as he did now.

Alfred returned to the study at dinner time. A frown creased his face. It had been hours since he was last here and Bruce had not moved at all in that time. He needed to do something about this.

* * *

><p>Although every light was burning brightly in the Watch Tower, darkness seemed to encroach around the space station. Dark storm clouds seemed to invade the usually peaceful and pleasant atmosphere. They lurked in the corners and spread throughout the room, blanketing the whole station in a heavy layer of misery. Darkness hovered at the edges of everyone's vision. People's movements were stiff and worried, almost waiting for something to sneak up on them from behind. The dark cloud hung heavily on their shoulders and blanketed them.<p>

An impromptu meeting had been called to address the situation. However, nothing had been said so far. No one could make words form yet. The darkness surrounded them, making them all nervous to be the first to speak.

"So," Flash broke the silence. "Does anyone know what's up with him?"

Unbidden, all their eyes flew to the source of the darkness, Batman himself. Batman was sitting at the central control of the Watch Tower. He'd arrived last night and promptly reassigned two days of monitor duty to himself. He hadn't left the seat yet. Not to eat, not to sleep, not even (Flash was sure) to go to the bathroom. No one had dared approach him. He was too angry, too dark, too brooding to stand. If he wasn't ordering someone around, he didn't speak. He simply gave everyone a cold calculating glare and returned to work.

"I have no idea." Superman answered when all eyes fell on him. As Batman's closest friend, everyone assumed he'd know.

"Robin?" Wonder Woman guessed.

"I called Alfred about him. He's safe and healthy." Superman said. "It isn't that."

Their eyes flicked back to the brooding bat. "Maybe it's a woman." Green Arrow suggested.

Flash snorted. "Right. Mr. Playboy himself is upset over a woman."

"It could happen." Hawkgirl said.

"Someone should ask him." Hal suggested.

No one volunteered. "He's right." Superman spoke up. "We should find out what's wrong."

Still no one moved. Their eyes looked at each other, all hoping someone else would take the chance. Although he was just human that didn't make Batman any less frightening.

"I'll go." Wonder Woman finally said. She looked at Superman. Somehow the two of them always got stuck with Batman-duty. They were always the two who were the spokesmen for the League.

The two flew up to the central control. Immediately Batman's dark glare fell on them. "What do you want?" He growled. His voice was low and dangerous.

"We wanted to know what… is up." Superman said. He felt himself groan at his wording.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Nothing."

"You seem upset." Wonder Woman said.

"I'm fine." Batman's head snapped back to the screens.

"You seem darker than usual. More angry." Superman added.

Batman said nothing in response. Wonder Woman fiddled with her cuffs, worrying. "Is Robin ok?"

"Robin is fine." Batman spat. "Why does everyone assume something is wrong with Robin?"

"You're usually only this upset when he's hurt or something." Superman said quickly. "So we just wanted to see if he was ok or if you two had an argument."

"No."

Wonder Woman sighed. This was going nowhere. "Something is wrong Bruce. What is it?"

"I already told you. Nothing."

The two exchanged a look. Superman took a hesitant step forward. "Maybe you should go back to the manor." He said. "Maybe if you relax and-"

"I can't."

"Can't relax?"

"Can't go back. Alfred kicked me out." These words weren't so angry. Rather they were almost embarrassed.

"Oh." The two exchanged another look. "Did something happen with Alfred?"

"He said I was darkening the house too much." Batman growled, his anger returning. His eyes fell on the two heroes once more. "Now, do you have anything else to say? I know you have work to do."

And that was the end of the discussion.

* * *

><p>The dark clouds seemed to have settled around the Watch Tower for good. Everyone tried to avoid the central control room now. Being in the same room as Batman was just too much. Martian Manhunter couldn't even be on the same floor as Batman's emotions simply overwhelmed him. The bat's emotions were starting to wear on the rest of the League as well. Tensions had grown, people were nervous, and anxiety filled the air.<p>

"Are you sure we can't just kick him out?" Hal Jordon demanded.

After two more days of the darkness infiltrating the Watch Tower another meeting had been called to figure out what to do.

"Nothing seems to break him out of it." Wonder Woman said. "According to police reports he'd been rather brutal the past couple days in Gotham too."

"The criminals were all too scared to come out." Green Arrow added. "He's been like this for…" He counted on his fingers, "nine days."

"What do we do?" Hawkgirl asked. "We have to do something. Poor J'onn is having a hard time just because of him."

"Everyone is." Superman said. "I don't even want to be near him."

"I second Green Lantern." Flash spoke up, raising his hand. "Let's just send him back to Gotham until he is over this."

"I'd like to," Black Canary said, "but I fear he may end up hurting someone there because of his mood. It's safer to keep him here."

"Can we lock him up or something then?" Flash asked. "He's kind of terrifying right now. More than usual I mean."

"I never knew a bad mood could be like this." Wonder Woman agreed.

The group was silent for a moment. Then Green Arrow sighed. "How about we try to have an intervention?" He suggested. "We'll talk with him and try to get him to agree to calm down. Bringing the Mission up usually makes him act better."

"I second that." Superman said. Once everyone had agreed, the team moved towards the central control.

As they approached a weight seemed to press down on their shoulders.

"Batman, we need to talk." Superman said as soon as they entered the room.

Batman said nothing in return. His eyes were glued to the screen where there seemed to be some type of countdown clock. For a moment the League was distracted.

"What's that?" Hawkgirl asked. Maybe if it was a bomb or something they could send Batman after it. Maybe that would help lift his mood.

"Nothing." Batman muttered. The timer read: _one day: fifteen hours: twenty seven minutes: forty two seconds_. His eyes didn't leave it.

"Is there something going on?" Superman asked.

Batman quickly brought the timer down. "I'm just testing it." He growled.

Green Arrow coughed nervously. "Look, Bats, we need to talk about your mood."

"Obviously something has happened and we want to help." Wonder Woman said.

"Besides, it's starting to really get everyone else down." Green Lantern added. "And Martian Manhunter is really affected by it."

They tried, unsuccessfully, to get something out of Batman. Anything. Nothing happened. They got nowhere. Batman wouldn't admit to anything being wrong and refused to speak with them at all. The dark cloud didn't dissipate.

"Daddy!" Suddenly a ray of sunshine seemed to break through the clouds as an exuberant cry rang through the station.

Batman jerked up in his chair and spun around to face the ball of sun itself: little Richard Grayson. Robin rushed up the stairs. A blindingly bright smile was on his face and joy practically radiated off of him.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Robin flung himself into Batman's arms.

The clouds started to disperse.

Batman clutched the boy to his chest, pressing his face against Dick's mop of black hair. The boy was giggling merrily and his arms wrapped around Bruce's neck. "Hi daddy." He said.

"What are you doing back?" Bruce asked. He pulled away, quickly checking the boy over. "You aren't supposed to be home for another two days."

"We were going to but Tommy got a concussion so we had to come home early." Dick said. He was bouncing up and down. "It was so much fun though, Batman. We won first place! And we went to Disney and I got to meet Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Rapunzel, Aladdin, and Mickey!"

"Really?" A smile spread across the dark knight's face and suddenly the clouds of despair and anger that had filled the place for days seemed to vanish.

"It was so cool." Dick emphasized. "Alfred told me I had to come up and see you as soon as I got back. I forgot my trophy at home. And my Mickey Ears. I got photos with all the characters in Disney, and we rode the rides, and saw parades, and they even had shows!" Robin's joy seemed to brighten the whole Watch Tower.

He turned to the League members who were staring in shock. "Hi guys!" He said, waving enthusiastically.

"You were… gone, Richard?" Green Arrow asked.

"Uh huh. We had a math competition in Florida. I was gone for eight whole days!"

Suddenly it clicked. The League looked at each other.

"Oh, did you win?" Flash asked.

"Yep! First place. I got a trophy and everything." Dick turned back to his father. "There's going to be another one in March. Do you think I can go to that one too?"

Batman's mouth pressed into a thin line. "We'll see." He said slowly. After this he was sure he was never going to let Richard out of his sight again. And for once, the League couldn't agree more.

Robin however didn't seem to notice this. He threw his arms back around Batman's neck and cuddled up to him. Batman cradled the boy in his arms.

"Did you miss me?" Dick asked.

Bruce didn't answer. Instead he pressed his lips against Dick's forehead and held him close.

Robin giggled. "I know, Daddy. I missed you too."


	22. Hacker

**A/N: Hey guys! The title really explains it all. Robin: The Hacker**

**Also, I realized I always write Roy so that he sounds pretty mean. And I don't mean to. I just want him to be that older brother that enjoys teasing his little brothers. Hopefully this time I made him nicer this time! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice**

* * *

><p>"This isn't fair." Roy complained. He sunk into the plush chair and crossed his arms, a deep scowl on his face. "They took us to the Watch Tower and it was supposed to be cool, but now we're stuck here with nothing to do!"<p>

The three boys looked around their confined space with a groan. All they'd wanted to do was watch a movie. They hadn't known that they'd put it in the monitor system. Soon enough Pirates of the Caribbean had been playing on every computer screen, monitor, and television in the space station. They hadn't _meant_ to do it, but that didn't stop the mentors from being angry at them.

It had taken the League too long for their liking to find the source of the problem and take out the movie, finally restoring order to the Watch Tower. Batman was furious that the computers had been temporally offline. Even though nothing bad had happened he kept emphasizing that something bad _could_ have happened and they wouldn't have known because Jack Sparrow had taken over the computers. Batman had been so angry. Actually, most of the League members were upset with them. They kept going on about how if they wanted to be heroes they had to be more responsible, reliable, etc.

Poor Robin, who had put the DVD in there in the first place, was near tears because of their anger. And because the little bird was so upset, Roy had taken the blame. He didn't want to make the little boy cry so he'd told the mentors that he'd been the one to put the DVD in the system.

The mentors had finally calmed down, but the three boys had been confined to a small guest room. 'Time Out' as Ollie had called it. Grumpily Roy kicked his feet. It wasn't fair. This time they hadn't even meant to do something bad.

"We can't do anything now." Wally added. "They'll never let us watch another movie. Ever!"

"Batman was mad at me." Dick whispered. He was curled up on a chair, a small frown creasing his face. He didn't like when Batman was upset.

"He isn't upset anymore." Roy promised the little boy. Now Batman was rather upset with Roy. Though the archer had a feeling that Batman probably would know the truth soon enough. Batman was like that.

A smile graced Dick's lips and he sat up. "Batman isn't upset with me because you're the _best_ Roy." He grinned at the red head.

Roy gave him a smile back. "I know."

Dick giggled.

"I'm so board!" Wally cried. He threw himself backwards onto the floor. "We're in the Justice League headquarters and I'm _boarded_. Shouldn't that be a crime?"

"I agree." Dick said.

Roy nodded. It just wasn't fair. "I still have the DVD if you guys want to finish that."

"We can't. There isn't a TV in here." Wally groaned. "And no computers either."

"They don't trust us anymore." Dick said softly. The boys sat in silence for another moment. Then, suddenly, Dick's face lit up. "Wait! I have a computer."

The other two exchanged a look. "You have a computer in your utility belt?" Roy questioned.

"Do you have a refrigerator too?" Wally asked hopefully.

Dick giggled. "No. In my glove." He said. He pressed a button and suddenly a small holographic screen appeared above his glove. The others rushed over.

"That's so cool." Wally said eagerly. He remembered now seeing the computer-glove before. When they'd tried to rescue Batbear, Robin had used it then. He hadn't seen it since and had forgotten. Now he remembered that he'd been meaning to ask Flash for computer-gloves too. Or maybe refrigerator-gloves. He was fairly sure Batman could make those.

"Does your glove play DVDs?" Roy questioned.

"No. But we can probably play some video games or something." Dick said. "I just need to bring up the right programs. Batman's been teaching me."

Dick clicked a few times on the holographic keyboard and the screen changed.

"What's that?" Roy asked, grabbing the child's hand before he could change the screen again.

"Oh. That's the Justice League." Dick shrugged. "I was practicing hacking into the security cameras. Batman said they're always the easiest to hack."

"This is live?" Roy asked. He could see the League members sitting around a table. Right now Green Arrow was talking rather heatedly to the group.

"Yea. It's their conference room. Why?"

"Can you get the sound on?" Wally asked.

"I think so." It took a few tries but soon Dick had the sound playing.

"—need more discipline." Green Arrow was saying. The sound was scratchy at best, but they could just make out his words. "They'll never listen."

"They're fine, Ollie." Flash groaned. "They're just kids."

"This is the eighth time they've disobeyed."

"We didn't actually tell them not to do that." Hawkgirl spoke up.

"That isn't the point!"

"Queen, you're just upset because Roy doesn't hero-worship you anymore." Batman growled. "What they did was wrong but they didn't mean to. We can each individually deal with their discipline, as we always have. The league doesn't need to step in to discipline children."

Green Arrow sat down with a grumble. The room was silent for a moment. Then Green Lantern spoke up. "Green Arrow makes a good point." He said. "They are still children, but in becoming heroes they have to learn the consequences of their actions. They get away with a lot."

"They're doing just fine." Flash said quickly.

"They should learn to handle orders better."

"I agree." Hawkgirl said. "They are wonderful, but I swear I've had to tell them a million times not to play in the rafters, or put their videogames in the computers, and park their toy cars in the hanger."

Robin blushed at these words. Most of those were him. Batman was really the only mentor who took his sidekick up to the Watch Tower often.

"A lot of that is just kids being kids." Superman said.

"But they need to learn." J'onn agreed calmly. "Their actions here, though maybe from playfulness, can have a bigger impact on the whole League."

"Are you suggesting that we aren't training them right?" Batman's voice was a deep growl and the others flinched.

"No. I'm saying that they need to behave." Green Lantern said. "They're growing older and they need to learn if they're going to become heroes."

"Shut up!" Roy cried at the screen. "We're doing just fine you butt-heads. Haven't you guys ever made mistakes?"

"Flash goofs off all the time and they never care when _he_ does it." Wally added.

On screen the heroes were yelling at each other, all save for Batman who sat calmly in his seat watching. They were arguing about them and yelling that the boys shouldn't even be side kicks in the first place.

"Stop it! Stop arguing!" Dick exclaimed. He stared at the camera in horror. He hated when the talked about getting rid of the sidekicks. He was always scared they'd make him stop being Robin. They'd confronted Batman plenty of times about it. "Stop it!"

Without thinking he brought up his keyboard and with a few strokes all the lights in the conference room went out. The heroes immediately stopped arguing.

"What was that?" Flash asked. Everyone held their breath as they waited for the lights to come back on.

"Forget to pay the electric bill or something?" Green Arrow asked, trying unsuccessfully to lighten the mood.

"We should go check the systems." Batman said immediately, worried by the presumable threat. Only once the heroes had left that room did Dick calm down. They weren't going to take him away from Batman anymore.

The little boy looked up, staring at his friends. "How did you do that?" Wally asked.

"It was easy."

Roy peered at his computer curiously. "What _else_ can you do?"

Suddenly the boys know how to entertain themselves.

* * *

><p>Batman was bent over the computer council, growling to himself as he tried to figure out what the heck was going on. Everything that could go wrong at the station was. Planes were starting up, the bay doors kept opening and closing, the lights kept flickering on and off, the monitor systems were constantly playing some horrible youtube video, the bathrooms had been locked, the second floor had gone into lock down, and to top it all off they didn't know what had caused it.<p>

Batman growled. No, to top it off would be the people he had to deal with. Currently Flash was being 'helpful' by asking over and over again what was going on. Ollie had gotten himself locked in the bathroom. Superman, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, and all three Green Lanterns were down in the hanger trying to keep the javelins and jets from taking off. Numerous others were scattered about trying to get the place back into control. And Batman, the only one who truly knew how the systems worked, was trying to get whatever virus had infected the system destroyed.

It wasn't working.

"Batman, what is going on?" Black Canary asked, storming up to his side. "Why isn't it fixed yet?"

"I don't know." Batman hissed. "The computer hasn't detected any virus."

"Then what is it?"

"I. Don't. Know." His voice had dropped to a feral growl and the blonde woman quickly rushed away. Batman took a few breaths to control himself. If he couldn't find out what was going on he'd have to at least pinpoint the cause of the problems.

As the lights suddenly went out around the tower again he groaned. Easier said than done.

* * *

><p>"What are these?" Wally pointed at the screen, his finger going through the holographic screen. Dick batted his hand away and made a face at him.<p>

"Those are files." He said simply. He'd managed to hack all the way into the computer's core system. This was… _fun_. A smile spread over his face and he let out a laugh. When Batman had started teaching him about hacking he'd been so bored. But now-_now-_he realized just how amazing it could be.

"What type of files? Are they about us?" Roy asked.

Dick smiled. "No. Batman only keeps those on the Bat Computer." He frowned, and then a smile spread over his face again. "I wonder if I can get in there."

"No way." Wally said instantly. "There is no way you can get into the _Bat_ Computer."

"Watch me." Dick teased, making a face at his friend. "I should be able to connect from here."

Only a few minutes passed before Dick cheered. "I'm in!"

The boys settled down, watching as Dick scrolled through the many files. He stopped when he found the mission descriptions. The boys watched in awe as they read the different files about the missions the Justice League had gone on.

"Roy, read to us." Dick insisted suddenly. He crawled into the elder's lap. Wally went to his side and looked up hopefully.

The archer grinned at his younger brothers and began to read the missions to them. He accented the story with voices for characters: a high pitched noise for the girls, a whiny voice for Ollie, and a deep grumble for Batman. Wally and Dick added the noises of the planes flying and bullets going off.

* * *

><p>Inexplicably the attacked had ended. It was sudden without any warning. That only served to worry Batman more though. He quickly lifted all the mishaps the virus had caused. The planes were flown back into the hanger. The rooms were taken out of lockdown. Lights were restored. The monitors were silenced. Everything was put back as it was.<p>

But Batman couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling in his gut. Something else was wrong. He searched deeper into the computers, trying to find out exactly what the problem was.

The virus had gotten into the Batcave's system.

Bruce swore loudly. His system had even more information than the Justice League's computers. He had information on all of the heroes, including their secret identities. He had information about the locations of different criminals. He had all his designs for his weapons and body armor and vehicles. He even had plans on how to take down each and every member of the Justice League.

"What is it?" Superman flew up to him when Batman swore again.

"They got into the Batcave." Batman growled. He was typing furiously on the computer, trying to find just what the virus was going for. Everything? One thing? What?

They were going through the mission reports. Every mission the Justice League had ever done had a file written about it, describing exactly what had happened. He had reports about the missions he'd been on solo and with Robin on.

This was not good.

Batman swore again, frustrated. Nothing should have been able to get into the Bat Computer. Nothing. It was supposed to have the most secure system on the whole planet.

* * *

><p>"No more stories." Wally said suddenly, breaking Roy off mid-sentence. "What else does Batman have on his computer?"<p>

Dick's face scrunched up as he tried to think. "Stuff about the villains and heroes… old news reports and papers…designs for costumes and stuff. I guess."

"I bet he has to have something better in there than all that boring stuff." Roy said. "Don't you think he has anything interested in that computer of his?"

"I thought the stories were interesting." Dick pouted.

"I bet he has even better ones hidden away." Wally said.

Dick considered this for a moment before a grin flitted across your face. "You're right. He probably has the best stuff hidden."

He began to search the computer and soon found files buried deep under piles of code. A cackle left the boy wonder's lips at the thought of the challenge.

* * *

><p>"They're going deeper into the files." Batman hissed. There was nothing he could do to stop this virus. That left only one more thing to do. He called up Alfred.<p>

"Master Bruce, what-"

"Turn off the power to the Batcave. Now."

"Right away sir." Alfred was level headed even while Batman was practically screaming. A moment later Alfred returned to the line. "The power is off, sir."

"Good." Batman breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't recover whatever had happened, but the hacker or virus had been slow. He'd stopped him from getting any more files at least. Batman leaned back, a scowl deeply set on his features.

How could this have happened? His systems were so advanced. No one should have been able to get in. No one could have. Then how had this happened? And what had they taken? And who had it been?

"Hey, look on the bright side." Flash spoke up. He was attempting to be cheerful but Batman's dark scowl stopped him.

Wonder Woman gave a small smile. "What bright side?" She asked curiously.

"At least the kids weren't around." Flash's grin abruptly faded at the words. "The kids!" He cried. A moment later he was gone.

Ollie said a rather colorful word and shot after him, along with Batman and the rest of the League.

How had they forgotten about the kids? How had they somehow forgotten about the danger their children were in? They could have been locked in. They could have been without power. Richard would have been terrified if that happened. Or what if they'd been placed on lockdown? Wally got claustrophobic. He would have been petrified. What if they'd been separated from Roy? At least Roy would have been able to take care of them. If they'd been separated who know what could have happened.

A dozen different scenarios plagued their minds as they burst through the door.

Nothing was wrong. Their children were safe. They were all huddled around Robin's computer screen, complaining. "How come it stopped? What happened? Did you break it?" Wally asked.

"I didn't break it. It wasn't me." Dick shot back.

Of course they would have noticed the strange happenings and been following them.

Barry rushed over to his nephew and swept him into a hug. "Wally! Are you ok?"

The boy squirmed in his uncle's grasp. "Of course I'm ok, Uncle Barry! What are you doing?" he whined as Barry crushed him to his chest

"The Watch Tower was going haywire. I thought you could have been hurt."

"Roy? Are you alright?" Green Arrow rushed to his ward's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. Roy made a face at his mentor.

"Of course I am."

"Dick?" Batman knelt before his son. The boy was still frowning at his computer though.

"Daddy, the computer died." He complained. He showed the blank screen to his father.

Bruce chuckled despite the situation. "I know. A virus got in. It hacked our systems and the batcave."

"A virus? Like a cold?" Dick questioned.

"That wasn't a virus!" Wally spoke up. "That was Dick."

"But I haven't been sick." Dick said.

"No, silly," Roy said. "a virus infects a computer."

"Oh." Dick nodded and beamed up at his father. "That was just me, Daddy."

Batman had no idea what to say. What in the world was his son talking about? "What do you mean?"

"I hacked into the systems, just like you showed me." Dick said proudly. "I was able to do _anything_. It was really fun. And then I found out how to get into the Bat Computer from here. Isn't that cool?"

Bruce just stared. Richard had done this? Eight year old little Dickey Grayson had hacked through the Justice League systems and his own? How was that even possible?

No one else seemed to understand either. "You did this?" Green Lantern demanded. "You hacked the systems?"

"Yea. Batman was showing me how so I was just practicing. It's really fun, actually."

"Dick, you can't do that!" Hawkgirl cried. "Do you know what you could have done?"

"We thought someone was attacking us!" Superman exclaimed.

"I was locked in a bathroom!" Ollie added.

"The jets were taking off-"

"-couldn't get into the cafeteria-"

"-computers were playing stupid shows-"

"-so annoying-"

"I was locked in a bathroom!"

"-could have been hurt-"

"-villains attacking-"

Dick's eyes welled up with tears at the sudden onslaught he was receiving from the Justice League. This was twice in the same day that he was in trouble. "I-I didn't m-mean to." Dick said. "I-I just wanted to-to practice."

He looked hopefully at his mentor who had yet to say anything. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong, daddy." He pleaded.

Batman studied him a moment longer. "You hacked the Justice League systems."

"Yes." Dick whimpered and rubbed his nose.

"_And_ you hacked into my computer."

"Yes." Dick looked at his toes.

Then, of all things, Batman smiled. A gentle hand ruffled his hair. "Good job." Batman said. His eyes were shining with pride and he chuckled softly at Dick's confusion. Bruce pulled the child into his arms.

"You aren't mad?" Dick asked.

"Of course not." How could Bruce be upset when he son was so obviously a genius? He was _eight_ and he'd hacked their systems. Bruce couldn't believe how proud he was of his little boy. Sure, it had been annoying and possibly dangerous. But at the same time he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

A smile lit up Dick's face. "You aren't?" He repeated, astounded.

"No. You did excellent." Bruce congratulated him. "How far into the Batcave's files were you able to get?"

"I was working on the triple encrypted ones." Dick said cheerfully.

"Bruce!" Ollie cried. "Come on, he just hacked our systems. I was _locked in the bathroom. _Aren't you mad?"

"No." Bruce smiled down at his son. He kept smiling until Dick asked his next question.

"Daddy, how come all your triple encrypted files are photos of catwoman?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The end! Thank you very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this! Please leave me a review! **

**Also, I recently published a new story called: Undercover. Its a one-shot from when Dick is twelve and on his first undercover mission! Please check it out. I haven't gotten many reviews and would love to see what you guys think. (Wow. shameless self promotion)**

**Anyway, thank you for reading! Next time we'll celebrate a Justice League Thanksgiving!**


	23. Thanksgiving

**A/N: As promised, a Thanksgiving story for all of you! this goes to KKCopper. She had given me a similar idea awhile ago and I hadn't had time to write it, but it seemed to fit into this plot. She also gives me the most wonderful reviews and is such a wonderful person to talk with.**

**So... without further ado: Thanksgiving. Also known as: _Alfred is Awesome._**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

><p>"A what?" Batman stared blankly at Superman.<p>

"A Thanksgiving party."

"I didn't know you had parties for Thanksgiving." Robin chirped from Batman's side. They had been just about to leave the Watch Tower when Superman had intercepted them.

"I think it would be a great idea." The man of steel said, beaming down at Robin. "It would be a great way for everyone to bond."

"We have enough team bonding exercises. I'm sure we don't need more." Batman snarled.

Superman went on as if Batman hadn't spoken. "I was thinking that everyone could bring a homemade good. Then we could have some prizes and watch the Peanuts."

"It sounds delightful." Batman muttered sarcastically

"We could even dress down- you know, out of costume."

"Perfect." He rolled his eyes.

Robin on the other hand was beaming. "We can watch the Peanuts movie? A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?" He grabbed onto Batman's hand, tugging his mentor down to his level. "We can make stuffing. Mommy and I always made stuffing for Thanksgiving."

And that was the end of it. No one, not even Batman, could compete with the joy on the little boy's face. So, with a sigh, Batman gave a nod. "Fine." He muttered to Superman. "You can have your party."

"Great!" Superman smiled. "Everyone will bring something. Ma and I are going to make the turkey."

"When is it?" Robin asked.

"Two days. I'm going to go tell the others!" Superman flashed them another grin before flying away.

* * *

><p>"Bruce!" Dick burst into the Batcave full force a day later. He rushed to Bruce's side and hopped up into the older man's lap.<p>

"Dick! What have I told you?"

"No jumping." Dick said pleasantly, unfazed by the reprimand.

"And what did you just do?"

"I jumped, just like always."

Bruce sighed. He should work on actually punishing the child for disobeying him. But it was such a slight thing that he just ignored it. "What is it Richard?" He asked. The child was wearing a small apron that Alfred had made him. Flour was smudged over his cheeks.

"We have to go make food for the party." Dick said.

Bruce's brow furrowed. "Alfred is doing that."

"No. We are." Dick insisted. "We have to make the food ourselves for the Justice League's Thanksgiving party!"

"Alfred can do that." Bruce said again. He had more important things to do than make stuffing for the party. Besides, he was never very good in the kitchen.

"But Bruce," Dick whined.

"Dick, please." He hushed the child. "You can make it with Alfred."

The boy crossed his arms, a frown settling over his face. "But you promised."

"I never promised anything. I said we could go. I didn't say we were cooking."

"But Bruce," Dick pleaded. His mentor just scowled. "Alfred is already cooking for your party for the rich people. I wanted to do this with you."

"Just go get Alfred's help."

"Alfred is busy!"

"Dick, not now." Bruce pulled the child off his lap and set him back on the floor. He tried to ignore the pang of guilt at Dick's face. The boy was somewhere between anger and hurt. "I have work to do. I don't have time to do anything in the kitchen."

He already knew that his time in the kitchen would take hours. He usually would burn a dish a least three times before it came out passable. Then he'd have to clean the whole place up and restart each time. That's why Alfred hardly dared to let him cook for himself anymore.

Today he just didn't have time for this. He had several charity events to attend for Thanksgiving as Bruce Wayne. There was also Richard's Thanksgiving play. Of course, Richard was only working the lights, but he still had to be there. Now he had to attend the Justice League's party. He just didn't have time for anything else. After all, just because it was Thanksgiving didn't mean the villains were resting.

"Fine. I can do it without you." Dick said irately. He slunk out of the Batcave. For a moment Bruce felt bad, but then he just returned to work.

Everything was fine until an hour later the fire alarm went off.

"Fire, Kitchen Two." A computerized voice announced from the computer.

Already Bruce was up and running. In all his years, not _once_ had Alfred ever sent anything on fire. If something was causing a fire in the kitchen that mean something had happened. Something bad.

_Dick_

The thought penetrated his mind and Bruce sped up, calling the boy's name as he skidded into the hallway.

"Dick!" Bruce burst into the second kitchen. Smoke billowed around the room. Alfred was there already, spraying down the oven with a fire extinguisher. Beside him Dick was standing, crying. "Are you alright?" Bruce swept the child into his arms, crushing him to his chest.

"I didn't mean to!" Dick wailed. He threw his arms around Bruce's neck and sobbed. "I didn't mean to set it on fire."

"Are you hurt?" Bruce asked again. Dick shook his head. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief and pressed his face into the boy's sooty hair. The child trembled in his arms, sobs escaping his lips.

"I was trying to make stuffing just like mommy and I always did." Dick whimpered. "I thought I remembered everything so I was trying to do it myself since you wouldn't help. But I guess I didn't know what to do because it just didn't work and I set the oven on fire and I'm really sorry."

Tears streamed down the child's face. Although he was scared from the fire he was more upset that he hadn't been able to replicate his mother's recipe. It had been something special the two of them made and for some reason, not being able to make it now made him feel awful.

The fire was out now and Alfred reached into the stove. His gloved hands pulled out a large pot, burned black. "What exactly did you put in here, Master Richard?" Alfred asked. He made a face as he set it aside.

"Bread, veggies, onions, and eggs. And mommy always used the turkey but I couldn't find any so I just used baloney. I put in some flour too. And some other stuff."

Alfred sniffed the pot with a frown. "Did you put oil in here?" He asked.

Dick nodded. "I thought you needed oil to cook stuff." He whispered.

"That's what caught on fire." Bruce said. No wonder smoke was covering the room.

"I'm really sorry." Dick whimpered again. "I didn't mean to do it wrong. I just wanted to make stuffing like Mommy and I always did." Watery blue eyes looked up at Bruce hopefully. "I miss mommy."

Bruce winced. He pressed a kiss on the boy's forehead. "I'm sorry, Dickey." He murmured. Suddenly he felt terrible for not helping the boy. At least Dick hadn't been hurt. Still, the thought that he could have been scared Bruce. He pulled his son a little tighter to him.

"Let's go get you cleaned up." Bruce said as he rubbed circles on the boy's back. "Afterwards we can try the stuffing together." He glanced at the butler. "…with some professional help of course."

* * *

><p>"Daddy," Dick whined as Bruce got into the Batsuit. "Uncle Clark said that we weren't supposed to wear our superhero costumes."<p>

"I don't listen to Clark." Bruce said simply.

"But Daddy, if you're the only one wearing a costume you'll stand out."

"I don't care." Bruce slipped his utility belt into place. He turned around to reach for his cowl but it wasn't there.

"The boy is quite right, Master Bruce." Alfred said. He was standing beside Dick, straightening the boy's sweater vest. "You should go as Bruce Wayne, not as Batman."

"No thank you." Bruce looked under the chair. No cowl. Maybe he'd left it by the computer?

Alfred smiled slightly at Dick. "Do you have everything, Master Richard?"

"Yep!" Dick beamed. He pointed to the pile of stuffing that they'd made up last night. It tasted just like his mother's recipe.

"What about your utility belt?" Bruce called.

"Uh huh." Dick made a face as Alfred smoothed his hair down.

"We want to look presentable tonight, Master Richard." Alfred scolded lightly. He glanced at Bruce who was still searching for his cowl. "Isn't that right, Master Bruce?" He winked at Dick.

"Right." The man muttered. Where had he left that? "Alfred, have you seen my cowl?"

"Your cowl?" Alfred asked. He thought for a moment. "I'm afraid I bleached it sir. I'll just have to make a new one. I'm afraid it won't be ready for a few days."

Bruce glowered. "Alfred…."

"If you wish to go as Batman without the cowl, be my guest. However, I have taken the liberty of setting out an appropriate outfit for you as well." The butler gave Dick another secret smile, making the boy laugh. Bruce just grumbled and went upstairs to change.

"You're the best Alfred." Dick said as soon as Bruce had disappeared.

Alfred made a tsk sound. "I don't know what you're talking about, Master Richard." The boy just giggled.

A few minutes later Bruce Wayne returned in Batman's stead. "Alright, let's go." He sighed. He didn't like not having his Batsuit on. Even with the utility belt strung around his waist, he felt…vulnerable. And Batman did _not_ like feeling vulnerable.

Bruce picked up the tray of stuffing, checked once to make sure Dick was completely ready, and pressed the button that sent them to the Watch Tower.

As soon as they stepped out of the zetta beam Barry Allen was there in a bright red sweater. "Hey Bruce!" He said with a grin. "You came as yourself. We were taking bets on if you would or not." The man in question glowered. "What do you have there?" Barry asked, undeterred by the scowl.

"Stuffing." Dick piped up. "We made it ourselves."

"Awesome." Barry sniffed it once. "It smells good."

They started walking towards the main room. Barry had been set up as the greeter. Truthfully he'd done it to be able to scope out the food everyone was brining, but no one seemed to mind.

"Between you and me, that's about the only edible thing here tonight." Barry whispered as they walked. "Even the turkey Superman and his Ma made is gross. Superman tried to reheat it with his heat vision and I'm pretty sure he dried it out."

"Alfred helped us." Dick said. "I caught the oven on fire the first time."

"Alfred is amazing. No wonder it smells so good." Barry said with a grin. They entered the main room and Barry leaned in closer. "That's a lot more than I can say for most of this stuff."

"Barry, are you complaining about the food again?" Ollie yelled as the three entered.

"No one wants your chili Ollie!" Barry shouted back.

Dick and Bruce slowly made their way throughout the room. All the heroes had dressed down. It looked nice and comfortable, warm, and inviting in the Monitor Womb. Even J'onn had changed into a sweater for the occasion.

Earlier that day Clark had decorated. There were thanksgiving decorations covering the walls. Leaves, pumpkins, and other fall decorations were on the tables and around the room. A soft Jazz music flitted through the speakers. Everyone was enjoying themselves.

Dick soon rushed off to play with Wally and Roy. Bruce found himself drawn into a conversation with Diana. The rest of the heroes ambled about. Superman had been very specific about how the night would go. He'd planned it perfectly. First there would be the hour or so of talking. Then they'd have their thanksgiving feast. He'd brought all the tables from the cafeteria and set them into one long line. Afterwards they'd all go to the Monitor Womb where he was going to play a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on the big screen. It was going to be a perfect party… except for the feast.

Wally made a gagging noise as he and the other boys examined the food. "This is disgusting!" He said, poking a lump of what appeared to be hardened mashed potatoes. "Even _I_ won't eat this."

The three boys had snuck off to the kitchen to see all the food. So far the only things that seemed edible were Dick's stuffing, Diana's cookies, Dinah's chocolate fudge, and J'onn's stack of Oreos. Though, the last ones didn't really count since he hadn't made them.

"Doesn't anyone know how to cook around here?" Dick complained.

"Uncle Barry does." Wally said. "But we accidentally ate all of it on the way up."

"I tried to convince Ollie to make pancakes." Roy said. He winced at the bubbling pot of chili his mentor had made.

"The turkey looks good." Dick said. He had climbed up onto the table to further examine the food. Wally jumped up beside him.

"It isn't. Superman used his heat vision on it. It was smoking."

Roy grabbed a knife from the table. "Only one way to find out." He stabbed the knife into the turkey. The boys winced as it made a hissing noise. Roy slowly opened the turkey. "Oh, gross." He winced. The entire inside was blackened and completely dried out.

"How can you have Thanksgiving without any food?" Wally asked. "This is… this isn't even food."

The boys continued on their search for something edible. There were three containers of runny mashed potatoes, two pumpkin pies that were green, cranberry sauce that looked like scrambled eggs, and a tray of hard cornbread.

"Do you think they know everything is gross?" Wally asked. "Maybe they just don't know. I'm sure if they knew how gross this was we could order out."

The boys latched onto this idea and rushed into the main room to see Clark. "Uncle Clark!" Dick cried, running up. The man of steel swept the tiny boy into his arms, throwing him into the air and catching him again. Dick squealed with laughter.

"Me next! Me next!" Wally cried, forgetting for a moment about the food. Clark obliged and threw Wally high into the air, making him laugh.

"What did you boys want?" Clark asked as he settled the red head back on the floor.

"It was about the meal." Roy spoke up. "It's… disgusting."

Clark frowned. "What?"

"None of the food is edible." Dick said. Wally nodded for emphasis.

"I'm sure it's fine."

Wally made a face. "It's worse than Ollie's chili."

Clark bit his lip. That was saying something. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it." He admitted with a sigh. "I'm sure we'll all understand."

"Can't we order out?" Wally asked.

"Of course not!" Clark looked appalled. "Who ever heard of ordering out on Thanksgiving? It's about sharing time with your family!"

The boys shared a look. _Something_ needed to be done about this.

* * *

><p>"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming to this Thanksgiving celebration." Clark said. He was sitting at the head of the table, a grin on his face and a glass lifted. The rest of the League was sitting at the long table, the plates of food on front of them.<p>

"Thanksgiving is a time for enjoying the company of your friends and family, and giving thanks for what we have. Something that we all have to be thankful for is our ability to help others. We have all been given extraordinary gifts in some way or another, and we have used these gifts to become heroes- to help anyone we can. And I am very thankful for my gifts, as I am sure you all are."

Clark's smile grew fond. "I would like to thank each and every one of you for being my friends and for becoming my family."

The League clapped at the end of the speech. Dick tugged at Bruce's sleeve, beaming up at him. Bruce even smiled a bit, ruffling the boy's hair fondly.

"And now, we eat!" Clark announced.

The clapping died down after that as the people surveyed the table. "I'm sure it's not that bad." Barry chuckled nervously. He grabbed for a plate of green pie.

Wally grabbed onto his arm though. "Don't eat that!" He cried. "I think it's poisoned."

"Oh come on, it's fine." Clark said. He took a plate of turkey with a slight wince. He bit into it. A loud _crunch_ echoed through the room. "See? Tastey?" Clark lied through his teeth.

Bruce sighed. "Says the man with a stomach of steel."

Hesitantly the League began to dig in. Well, it was more of a slow and reluctant thing. Roy leaned over, kicking Dick's leg. "Hey, when is it going to be ready?" Roy whispered. "He should have been here hours ago. Isn't he coming?"

"I don't know." Dick whispered back.

A plate of… well _something_ was passed to Dick. He started to take some but Bruce pulled it away. "You're not eating any of that." Bruce said. "I'm not letting you get food poisoning."

"See?" Wally cried to his Uncle. "Even Batman says it's poisoned!" He was staring helplessly at the green pie his uncle was consuming.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad!" Clark cried indignantly.

"My chili is still good!"

"Ollie, no one wants to eat that crap."

"-this is ok"

"-Oh my gosh! It moved!"

"-if you close your eyes-"

"-ugh. This tastes like coal-"

"-gona gag-"

"-who made this-"

The League's clamor rose as people tried to determine what was edible. In the noise of the room the soft 'ping' from Batman's utility belt went unnoticed by all but the little bird. Robin grinned and quickly snuck away from Batman to go open the bay doors.

"Alfred!" Dick cheered as the old man landed the Bat Jet in the hanger. The butler smiled fondly as he emerged. "Can you make real food for us now?"

Alfred chuckled. "Even better, Master Richard. I've brought an entire meal." He opened the side of the jet and a waft of delicious smells entered the room.

Dick's eyes widened. "How did you have time to make all of this?"

"I made it ahead of time. If the League was anything like Master Bruce I thought they'd need a backup plan." Alfred's eyes sparkled. "Now, will you help me? There is an awful lot of food here."

"This smells delicious!" Wally exclaimed as he and Roy rushed into the room. They'd only escaped from the room after Wally complained about going to the bathroom. Their mouths were watering from the smell.

"Quite right Masters Wallace and Roy." Alfred pulled out some carts and started loading them up. "If you please…?"

* * *

><p>The din in the dining room had died down as people attempted to eat their food. Hardly anyone was talking. Most were having trouble just being able to cut their turkey apart. Those who had it in their mouths were wincing as they ate the tough meat.<p>

"Do you think the pie really was poisonous?" Barry asked nervously as he glanced at the empty chair beside him. He suddenly regretted giving Wally a piece. Maybe he'd accidentally poisoned his nephew.

"If it was it won't hurt you. Your systems are quick enough to handle it." Bruce said. He currently had a radiation device out to monitor the food.

"Bruce, I'm sure none of this is radioactive." Diana sighed.

"We don't know that." Bruce growled. "I'm not giving Dick anything without making sure."

"Guys if you just-" Clark started then abruptly stopped. "Wait, do you guys smell that?"

"Is there a fire?" Ollie asked.

"No. It smells… good." Clark sniffed the air. A moment later delicious smells started to waft through the open door. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the doorway.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" three voices cheered.

Roy, Wally, Dick, and Alfred entered the room with four carts full of absolutely mouthwatering goodness. There were four turkeys, pies galore, cranberry sauce, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and more. And all of it smelled absolutely delicious.

"Alfred, what are you doing here?" Bruce asked, staring blankly at his butler.

The older man just gave a small smile. "Master Dick called me about a highly inedible Thanksgiving feast. I thought to remedy the problem."

Soon the disgusting food had been thrown down the garbage disposal and the new _delicious_ food was sitting in its place. Now the words that filled the air were of delight.

"-so good!"

"-tastes like heaven-"

"-what's in this?"

"-eat ten of these-"

"-amazing-"

And with the new food the cheery air came back. The comforting feeling returned and the room was filled with joy once more.

Dinah and Ollie were flirting. Roy was making faces at them behind their backs, which was making the Green Lanterns across from them howl with laughter. Clark and Diana were gushing about a new television show they'd started watching. Wally and Barry were having a contest to see who could eat the most.

And Bruce… Bruce just smiled as Dick climbed into his lap. His butler and faithful friend took Dick's empty seat. Dick grinned up at his father and cuddled in, reaching to take his plate off the table. Bruce just watched him with a fond smile on his face. He glanced to the side, seeing Alfred's knowing look. "Yes Alfred?"

But the butler simply smiled. "Happy Thanksgiving, Master Bruce."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope each one of you has an excelent Thankgiving. And if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful time anyway! **

**Thank you very much for reading. Your reviews are definately something _I'm_ thankful for. :)**


	24. Belief: Intro

**A/N: This is the Christmas story story I promised! This is just the intro and is just beginning to lead up to the true story. Summary: _When an eight year old Dick finds out that Santa isn't real, he is devistated and now its up to Batman and the Justice League to save his Christmas!_**

**Thank you very much to Prettykitty374, EllyElric, black4minister, and KKCopper for giving me ideas to write this!**

**Warning! This story will deal with aspects pertaining to Santa not being real. If you believe in Santa please do not read this. **

**Important Anouncment: ****This story is going to be a couple chapters long. Thus, instead of adding a bunch of Christmas chapters to this story, I've made a seperate story. You can either read the into here or jump over to my other story. Future Chapters will be located at my other story called "Belief" For future chapters they'll all be on the other story so please check there for updates!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p>Dick's face was pressed against the glass window despite the chill. His breath left stains on the glass, painting it in a fuzzy haze. He stared out at the snow covered land. It was always snowed so much here in Gotham. When he celebrated Christmas before, with his family and the circus, it was different. There was never snow.<p>

Except for once….

Dick's eyes were gazing outside at the snow falling from the heavens, but it wasn't Bruce Wayne's backyard he was seeing.

* * *

><p>Dick was staring wide eyed out his hotel window. Snow. Snow! A gleeful little cry escaped his lips. He hadn't seen snow in ages. Usually the circus would be in California or some other warm area during the winter. But this year they'd been offered a special opportunity: to perform in Paris, France. And to perform there during the Christmas season no less.<p>

Dick had been excited, but not so excited as he was now. It was only four in the morning and he knew he should still be in bed beside his mother and father, but it was _snowing_.

"Ce este, Robin micul meu?" His mother called sleepily from the bed. _What is it, my little Robin?_

At the sound of her voice six year old Dick Grayson ran back to the bed." Mami, mami, e ninge!" He cried as he sprang onto the bed. _Mommy, mommy, it's snowing!_

Dick's father gave a deep chuckle as he rolled over. "Is it now?" He could see the snow falling outside from where Dick had shoved open the curtains.

"Isn't it neat?" Dick asked.

John Grayson sat up in bed, ruffling his son's hair. "If you go get changed quickly we can all go out and see it."

"John." Mary Grayson scolded lightly. It was only four am.

"Snow never sticks for long in Paris. Let him enjoy it." Dick didn't hear anymore. He was already rushing to their small bathroom to change into his clothing.

Today was Christmas Eve. The Circus was off today and tomorrow. As a special gift from their clients, every performer had been offered a room in this lovely hotel. Usually they would stay in their trailer, but his parents had accepted and so now they had this big room with a big bathroom and a beautiful view. His parents had jokingly called it a vacation.

Dick rushed back out to his parents. His mother had rolled over to go back to sleep but his Father was pulling a second pair of pants and a winter jacket over top of his pajamas. "Are you ready, puţin pasăre?" _little bird._

Dick grinned at his nickname. "Ready, tată."

Holding his father's hand they rushed outside. No one was out yet. It was still dark out. Lights decorated the streets. They hung from tree to tree, along the sidewalks, and on the building sides. They illuminated the darkness, hanging like floating candles. Streetlamps lit up their path as father and son made their way down the street.

"So pretty." Dick whispered. "Magical."

"Snow always does seem magical." His father agreed. He lifted Dickey onto his shoulders.

"Look at the Christmas tree!" Dick cried, pointing to a huge Christmas tree in the square. A temporary ice skating rink had been set up around it. His father walked to it and Dick gazed up at the sheer hugeness of the tree. He swore it was as tall as the elephants! Maybe taller!

"Can we get one like that?" He asked.

His father just laughed. "I don't think it would fit in our trailer."

"Too bad." Dick sighed. He rolled over his father's shoulders, landing perfectly on the ground beside him. He went to the snow, running a gloved hand through it. It was so soft.

Then, with a cackle, he grabbed a handful and threw it at his father. John gave a cry at the icy impact. Then, with a laugh of his own, he grabbed a handful and threw it back.

When they arrived back in their rooms an hour later, his mother was already up. She'd been watching through the window and now had a delighted grin on her face. "Look at you two." She scolded weakly. But she couldn't help her grin.

She drew a warm bath and helped her son in while he recounted the details. "I got him good, mami." Dick was saying. "I hit him right in the chin."

"I'm sure he enjoyed the slush down his shirt." His mother had laughed, tickling him under the chin.

Dick giggle and looked imploringly up at his mother. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

* * *

><p>Dick's hand fell away from the window.<p>

That had been the best Christmas ever. He remembered every bit of it perfectly. After that they'd gone out to eat at one of the French restaurants that his mother loved so much. Then they'd gone ice skating. It had been a breeze for the family of acrobats and soon they were doing small jumps and leaps.

Then his mother had taken them sightseeing. The lights around Paris were the most magical. By noon the snow had melted. Temperatures in Paris hardly ever stayed below freezing, but the glisten from the wetness just seemed to make everything even more beautiful.

Christmas Eve Night the circus had a party in the hotel's ballroom. They'd sang songs, and danced, and had a great time. Dick was eager to get to sleep though because he knew that the quicker he went to bed the quicker he would wake to find the gifts Santa had left under the tree.

Dick looked away from the snow covered ground. So much had changed since that time. His parents were gone now, up in heaven. Alfred said he could send them letters, and he'd been working diligently on writing them Christmas cards, but it wasn't the same.

He had Bruce and Alfred now too, but still it wasn't the same.

No… so much had changed since that perfect Christmas. Everything had changed. Everything save one thing.

Santa.

Dick had no doubt that Santa would find him this year. After all, he'd found him every year when he was in the circus, traveling around. And this year he had an actual chimney. He was sure Santa would be delighted. This year he'd be leaving Santa Alfred's best cookies too. That would make Santa happy.

Oh, Dick had heard the rumors. He'd heard them in the circus too. _Santa wasn't real_ people said. They said that it was just his parents who gave him the gifts. Dick knew that wasn't right though. He knew for certain that Santa was real.

The little boy scrambled off the window seat and hurried to his closet. It was almost time for school and Dick was excited. This was the last day of school before Christmas break. It was almost time for Santa to arrive.

Of all the things in his life that had changed since that perfect Christmas, at least Santa would stay the same.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Coming up Next: After a debate in school, Dick starts to lose faith in Santa. What will happen?**

**Thank you very much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you thought of it!**

_**Go to "Belief" for more chapters! The first chapter will be posted soon! To get updates to the Christmas Story please go there!**_


	25. Poison Ivy

**A/N: I was watching old Batman episodes and I thought of this. Hope you enjoy it! **

**Two quick things about the story:**

**1) It's in Dick's POV, just like it was in the chapter Broken Wings**

**2) I hope you know what cooties are. If you for some reason don't know, it's an imaginary germ little boys think that girls have. Very gross.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything:**

* * *

><p>Dick's POV<p>

Batman grabbed onto my shoulder and squeezed tight. I immediately froze at the contact and looked up at him. Batman put a finger to his lips. I nodded to show that I understood. No more talking. Got it.

We crept closer to the Gotham Greenhouse. It looked terrifying. Dark green and brown vines covered nearly every inch of the surface. Huge lumbering ones had smashed through the glass windows and wrapped around the outside like octopus tentacles. Every so often the vines would shift.

I shivered at the sight. I wasn't scared. Not at all.

Ok, well maybe just a bit. This was my first time going up against Poison Ivy after all. Batman had slowly been letting me come with him on harder missions. Just last week he'd allowed me to take down Penguin and Two Face. He still didn't want me to come with him when Joker was around, and he wasn't too keen on Scarecrow either. But he was starting to let me tackle the super villains of Gotham.

So I shouldn't be scared. I had trained for this. And it wasn't that I was scared of Poison Ivy. No…I was just scared of her plants. Giant, carnivorous, poisonous plants. Plants- the one thing I thought could never try to kill you now were deadly.

Without meaning to I shivered again. Breaking his own rule, Batman placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke. "You can go back." He whispered gently. I knew he probably hoped I would. He had been nervous about this mission.

I shot him a smile though. "I'm fine." I whispered back. I wasn't scared.

Batman gave a snort nod and squeezed my shoulder again. This time it was for good luck. Then, without another word, we crept towards the greenhouse.

I slipped behind Batman as we entered through a broken panel of glass. Earlier today the police had tried to enter the same way. Ivy's vines had grabbed them and hurled them fifty feet away.

Suddenly the friendly looking plants seemed terrifying. Without meaning to I rushed to Batman's side, sticking close. He sent me another worried look. He was probably thinking about sending me home again.

I sent him a bright smile, trying to pretend I wasn't scared. Batman wasn't convinced but he didn't immediately grab me and throw me back in the batmobile. Why should he? I wasn't scared. I was a big boy. I was eight years old. That was much too old to be scared of a bunch of plants.

Batman waved to the side and we crept that way. The inside of the greenhouse looked like a jungle. Trees had grown taller, pants were brighter and bigger, thick leaves obscured our vision. Small streams had been built into the landscape but Ivy's plants had smashed them, making the streams into small rivers.

We followed these rivers to the very center of the greenhouse where Ivy stood in the middle of an artificial pond. Or rather, a gigantic plant sat in the pond. Ivy herself was at the top of it in a giant pink rose. Her back was to us. All I could see was a bit of red hair.

Batman glanced at me and nodded once. Then, we took off running.

Not three steps later something wrapped around my ankle. I gave a cry as I was suddenly pulled off balance. Something had a viselike grip on my ankle. That something seemed like rope. Living rope. The giant vine hulled me upwards so I hung upside down, dangling from my ankle. Before I could reach my utility belt more vines surrounded me like a cocoon.

"Batman!" I called his name but when I spotted him he too was wrapped in a vine cocoon. A deep angry glare fell across his face as the vines whipped us forward and we came face to face with Poison Ivy.

Ivy was green. I knew from what Batman had told me that she was green but it didn't really click until she was right in front of me. Her skin was light green. She had bright red hair. Vines circled around her body. She was wearing a tiny green dress that looked like the ladies at Bruce's parties wore; only hers was made out of leaves.

Poison Ivy grinned when she saw us. She leaned back in her flower chair with a soft chuckle. "Nice job babies." She murmured. I was about to protest. I was _eight_. I wasn't a baby. But then I realized she was talking to her plants.

"Hello Batman. I see you brought the boy. How delightful." Ivy laughed. She gestured and suddenly the vines brought us right in front of her. "I was rather hoping you'd show up." She said. Her hand caressed down Batman's cheek.

I made a face. What was she doing? Batman just kept glaring at her. "You see, I've been perfecting this new spore that I think you'll just _love_."

The next instant her lips were on top of Batman's. My eyes widened in shock. She'd just kissed Batman! "Ew!" I exclaimed without thinking.

Ivy laughed as she pulled away from Batman. And Batman… Batman was smiling. No, not smiling. He looked like those guys at Bruce's parties who drank too much. He had a dopey smile on his face.

"Batman?" I asked nervously.

"Now for the little birdie." Ivy said softly. She blew an air kiss at me. Little pink flecks seemed to float in the air towards me.

I twisted in my bonds. "What did you do to Batman?" I asked. The little pink flecks landed on my face. They tickled.

"Nothing much. I just messed with his hormones. He'll be doing whatever I want from now on, right Batman?"

"Of course, Ivy." Batman's voice sounded like mush. He didn't sound like Batman. He didn't even sound like Bruce Wayne. He sounded ridiculously happy, kind of like the girls at his parties.

"Just like you will too, little birdie, right?" Ivy cooed. Her green fingers traced my face.

"Ew gross!" I exclaimed, twisting my head away from her. "Why would I do anything for you?"

Poison Ivy frowned deeply. "Didn't the spores work?" She asked. Her fingers clawed at my cheeks now. "Perhaps they don't work on someone so young. You haven't even gone through puberty yet." She mused. She shrugged and stepped back onto her throne. "Never mind though. Having Batman working for me will be more than enough."

"Batman won't work for you!" I cried. Batman's sappy attitude had to be an act.

Ivy laughed though. "Is that what you think Boy Wonder?" With a flick of her wrist the plant released me, throwing me down onto the floor. "We'll see about that. Batman, kill him."

Her plants released Batman and he fell to the ground beside me. I smiled widely. "ha! We tricked you." I called. "Come on Batman! Let's get her."

But before I could run at her a large hand grabbed my cape and yanked me backwards. Batman pinned me to the ground, his fist raised above my face. My eyes widened in shock. "Batman?" I whispered. He was still just pretending. Right?

A gauntleted fist was racing towards my head. I let out a cry and twisted to the side. "Batman! Batman, what are you doing?" I exclaimed.

Batman didn't respond. Instead he just threw another punch at me. I leapt to the side. "Batman, stop it! This isn't funny. Stop pretending!"

Batman lunged at me. With a cry I ran. Batman chased right after me. There was a _whiz_ and suddenly a batarang flew by my cheek. "Batman, stop!" I cried.

He didn't even seem to hear me. Batarangs were flying at me now. Batman wasn't pretending. He really _had_ been brainwashed by Ivy. He was trying to kill me!

My eyes widened in terror. Suddenly something caught around my ankles and I fell to the ground. A length of rope was wrapped around my ankles, two heavy weights keeping me ground. And Batman was coming towards me.

"Well, this ended quicker than I would have thought." Ivy's voice laughed from her chair.

"Batman!" I cried. He didn't stop. He kept coming. No time to think. I grabbed the cords and yanked like he'd shown me. The ropes came undone and I leap into a back handspring just as an explosive landed where I had been.

Grasping for my utility belt I threw batarangs at him. Only one hit. Batman was running towards me. A punch and a dodge, a swift upward kick, more batarangs, and more leaping away. Training with Bruce had never been as hard as this. Bruce had never been trying to kill me before.

"Oof!" I let out a gasp of air as Bruce's fist landed in my stomach. I was knocked back a few feet, stumbling. Batman grabbed the back of my cape, hulling me upwards. "Batman!" I cried.

The next moment he'd thrown me into the trees. I screamed as I collided with the branches. I fell to the ground just as Batman appeared at my side. I had to go on the offensive.

I tried to do something. Uppercut, kick, dodge, kick, punch, throw, jump, attack. It wasn't working. For every hit of mine Bruce got in three more. I screamed as he yanked my arm backwards and I felt something pop.

"Daddy stop." I begged, sobbing now.

Even that didn't stop him.

I had to do something. I had to escape and then figure out a new plan. Batman was always telling me we had to do that if something got too difficult. But how did you distract Batman?

I threw down a fistful of smoke bombs, but of course that didn't work. Batman was used to fighting blind.

Ivy wasn't though. I ran as quickly as I could back towards the center. I grabbed as many explosives as I could and hurled them straight for Ivy's throne.

"Batman, help!" Ivy cried.

For a moment Batman stopped chasing me to go to her aid. It was all I needed. In the moment of chaos I ran back into the forest and shot up into the trees, and started jumping through them, getting as far away as possible.

"Where did that little brat go?" Ivy screamed. She took a deep breath. "No matter. He isn't a threat. With Batman on my side, what can go wrong?"

* * *

><p>I wasn't crying. I wasn't.<p>

A sob escaped my lips and I shook my head. Maybe I was crying. Just a little bit.

I had managed to escape to a small worker's chamber under the greenhouse. It was dark here, quiet too. I couldn't hear anything from above and that only worried me more. What if Ivy was going to send Batman after me again? I'd be trapped here. There was only one exit.

I sobbed again. I was terrified. Batman never prepared me to fight him. How did I stop him without hurting him? I was scared. Batman wasn't supposed to hurt me. Batman wasn't a bad guy. He wasn't supposed to be trying to kill me.

I moved slightly. A yelp of pain erupted. My arm hurt terribly. It was bleeding, so were my legs and forehead.

"Daddy." I whimpered. Batman was the one who was supposed to save me. I wasn't supposed to have to save him. Especially not from himself.

What was I supposed to do? He'd been hit with that pollen or drug or dust or whatever it was. I wanted to call for help. I wanted to sneak out and find Alfred or the Commissioner Gordon, but I couldn't. I'd have to creep by Ivy's hideout to get out and she'd see me. I didn't want to confront Batman again.

"Daddy." The sobs passed my lips. I rubbed my eyes furiously. I had to do something. I couldn't let Batman be her mind controlled puppet. I had to do _something_. "Think. Think." I ordered myself. I squeezed tighter into a ball, my hands on my head, willing myself to come up with a plan.

She'd blown some type of dust at me. It was supposed to turn me into her zombie like Batman, only I was too young so it hadn't worked. Although she'd kissed Batman she had to have used to same dust on him.

Whenever we got back from a mission Batman would have me take a shower. He said it was to get any dust, gases, or poisons off, especially if we'd been fighting scarecrow or joker. I looked around the small storage unit. Maybe a shower would help Batman now.

* * *

><p>"Ew gross." I couldn't help whisper as I crept towards Ivy's throne.<p>

She and Batman were _kissing_. She was sitting on her thrown and he was kissing her while giving her a foot massage. It was disgusting. There was no doubt anymore that Bruce wasn't brainwashed.

I made another gagging sound. _Yuck_. Didn't Batman realize she had cooties? Probably plant cooties at that. _Poisonous_ plant cooties.

"Ok, Robin." I whispered to myself. "Let's go."

The next moment I jumped out of hiding. My grappling hook caught onto the bars overhead and I swung out towards them. I had to get Batman away from Poison Ivy. My feet landed right on his chest. Distracted, my swing kicked Batman all the way to the ground below.

"Kill him!" Ivy screeched. "You just don't learn, do you Wonder Boy?"

"It's Boy Wonder!" I cried.

Batman lunged at me. This time I wasn't scared though. This time I had a plan. "Can't catch me!" I made a face at him and jumped to the side as he chased me. Only a little bit more... There!

"Ah!" Batman tackled me to the ground. His hands wrapped around my throat and began squeezing. "D-d-daddy." I gasped, struggling in vain beneath him.

I heard Ivy laugh. She was sauntering towards us. "Daddy?" She cooed. "How precious. Joker and Two Face had said that, but I didn't know he really _was_ your father. This will just make this that much better."

"D-dad-daddy." I was starting to see spots. Ivy was talking still. Something about how Batman was killing me was ironic or metaphorical or something about plants. Batman wasn't listening to me or her. He was just glaring at me with a feral curl to his lips.

My body went slack. Batman's grip loosened for a second. I flipped backwards, out of the way. Only one shot. I grabbed my batarang and threw it upwards just as Batman yanked my cape backwards.

A clang of metal sounded as my batarang hit the sprinklers. Suddenly water poured down on us and the fire alarm sounded. I let out a cackle. "Yes!" My cry turned into a scream as Batman hulled me backwards and threw me into the trees.

"No! Batman!" I cried. The water hadn't worked. Why hadn't it worked? He grabbed my arm, twisting it. I screeched. "Daddy!" I was sobbing now. It didn't work. Why didn't it work? Now what was going to happen? He was going to kill me!

Then, his grip weakened. "D-di-Robin?" Batman stuttered. He dropped my arm and stepped back. His body was shaking. He stared at me in horror. "Robin?" he repeated. He fell to the ground.

"Daddy?" I whimpered. "You-you aren't going to kill me now, r-right?"

"No. No." Batman grabbed at his head. He was gasping for breath.

Behind us Ivy gave an indignant screech. "You infernal _brat_!" She cried. Suddenly there was a roar. Four giant plants shot up from the ground. Ivy's face broke into a grin. "You'll pay for that. You see, Wonder Boy, the thing about plants is that they _love_ water."

I screamed as the vines shot towards us. Batman leapt over me, crushing me to his chest as he sprang away just in time. "Get into a tree. Stay." He ordered.

Then he leapt towards Ivy, throwing a punch at her face. I scrambled up the nearest tree as best I could.

Back and forth, back and forth they went. He'd get in a punch, her vines would throw him back, he would throw a bomb, her plants would nearly tear his arm off. Batman wasn't getting better though. If anything he was getting worse. His movements were still sluggish. His mind seemed to be processing far slower than usual.

A vine got him, shooting him back ten feet. He landed in the pond, splashing to the bottom. Ivy stalked over to him. "Plants just love water, Batman." She whispered. Vines sprung up around her. This time they were a bright green and somehow livelier. Batman didn't stand a chance.

I jumped down from my tree, wincing as my legs nearly gave out. I couldn't worry about that though. Ivy was going to kill him!

I rushed forward, reaching into my belt for the most recent gadget Batman had given me. I hadn't had a chance to try it out. Hopefully it worked like I wanted.

"Batman, up!" I screamed.

He obeyed. The next moment he'd shot his grappling hook up and was swinging out of the pond.

"Little Brat!" Ivy cried, swinging around to face me just as I threw a handful of the pellets.

They landed into the pond and the reaction was immediate. Ice started to form. Within seconds it had started a reaction. Ivy screeched as it ice formed around her feet then grew upwards. In a minute, Ivy, her plant, and the pond were all frozen solid.

"Yes!" I cried. I jump into the air, only to come crashing down when my legs could hold me. "Ow."

"Robin." Batman landed next to me. His arms grabbed me into a hug and he pressed his face against my head. "Robin, I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's ok Daddy."I lied. I beamed up at him. I was just glad he was back to normal.

Or, maybe not so normal. He went to stand, then immediately fell back down. He looked woozy. "Are you ok?" I asked worriedly.

"Just the side effects of the poison. I'll be better soon." He promised. He gave me a weak smile.

While Batman sat, trying to regain his sense of balance, I grabbed his communicator and called the Commissioner. "Hi! Guess what? We got Ivy. You can come in now."

Soon the police were coming into the greenhouse. Commissioner Gordon rushed over to us. "Batman are you- _Robin!"_ He broke off with a cry. "Robin, are you ok?"

I finally looked down at myself. Oh. Blood seemed to cover my legs and arms. Most of it had dried by now. I hadn't even noticed. "I'm ok." I lied. Now that I'd noticed them and burning and aching started to make its way up my body. I whimpered slightly. This would feel terrible in another hour.

"Are you sure? I should get a hospital-"

"No hospitals." Batman growled.

Commissioner glanced worriedly at me again before his eyes went to Batman. "What about you, Batman? Are you alright?"

"Fine." He hissed.

I grinned and spoke up. "He just has a bad case of cooties."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This was just something simple I wrote. It probably isn't my best work ever, but I thought I'd update for you!**

*****Important Anouncment!*****

**There was some confusion from my last chapter about what's going on. Obviously, I am still updating this story! I won't be updating anymore of the Christmas Fic though. The rest of that story will be in "Belief". That story already has Chapter One up, so go there for the rest of the details!**

**Thank you!**


	26. Batbear to the Rescue

**A/N: Remember when you were a little kid and wanted to take your stuffed animal everywhere? **

**This is dedicated to KKCopper. I had a terrible day yesterday and she was so nice to me. Even sent me some lovely fluff to make me feel happier! It worked and because we are review buddies/Batologists/Rapunzel buddies/ SSE buddies and more this is for her. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

"But-"

"No."

"He-"

"No."

"Daddy-"

"Dick! The answer is no!" Batman finally broke his monotone. He bristled at the sight before him. "You are _not_ taking Batbear on patrol with us."

"But Daddy," Dick whined.

"No."

"He'll get hurt if I leave him behind."

A tick was starting to form behind the Dark Knight's eye. "Dick, do you really think taking Batbear into gunfire is safer?"

Dick just hugged his newly remade teddybear closer. "Batbear doesn't want to leave me again." Dick said softly. "He'll get lonely and think I'm going to leave him behind forever."

"Alfred can take care of him."

Dick's lip trembled. "But Daddy." He whimpered. "I don't want to leave Batbear."

"Richard Grayson," Batman growled, "either the bear stays here or you don't go on patrol."

Tears welled up in the boy's blue eyes. He looked from his teddy back to Batman and back again. It was such a hard decision.

He never wanted to leave Batbear again. After the whole fiasco of accidentally throwing Batbear out a window and having him destroyed and thinking he was gone forever- _again_- Dick was never letting Batbear out of his sights. He'd been carrying the bear around constantly. It had only been two days since the incident and Bruce swore Dick hadn't let go of him since Batbear was returned.

But this was the final straw. There was no way Bruce was going to let Dick take the bear on patrol. It would only end in tears. Batbear would most likely be torn apart by a dog or a bullet. Worse, if Dick was fretting over his stuffed animal he wouldn't be paying attention to his own safety. Batman wouldn't let that happen.

"Please?" Dick tried again.

"No. I guess you're staying home today." Bruce pulled the cowl up and turned to leave without his partner.

"Wait!" Dick cried. He rushed to Batman's side. "Can… what if I just left him in the car?" Dick suggested.

Batman groaned. But a short nod from Alfred convinced him otherwise. He might as well just let it be. Dick could bring the bear in the car. "Fine." He growled. "But nowhere else."

* * *

><p>"What is it Commissioner?" Batman asked as he and Robin landed on the roof of Gotham police headquarters.<p>

"There was a break in at…" Commissioner Gordon trailed off when his eyes fell on Robin. "Now… who is this?" He asked, a smile spreading over his face. The man knelt in front of the boy.

Batman swore softly.

"This is Batbear." Robin said proudly. He handed him over for inspection. "I made him myself…. He's gotten beat up though."

"I see." Gordon chuckled as he handed the bear back over. "Do we have a dynamic trio now?"

Robin beamed. "Yep!"

Batman just grumbled. "I told you to leave him in the car." He hissed.

"I wanted to show Commissioner Gordon." Robin said plainly, as if that explained everything.

"What is it that you need us for?" Batman grumbled. He'd talk with Robin about this later.

"Mr. Freeze has taken all the blood from the blood bank. He has it hostage down at the docks."

"We're on it." Batman jumped off the building into the waiting Batmobile below.

"Bye Commissioner!" Robin called, making Batbear wave goodbye. He grinned and jumped after his mentor.

* * *

><p>"Put him down." Batman ordered.<p>

"He'll be lonely." Robin complained as he hugged his bear tighter.

"Put. Him. Away." Batman hissed. His tone wouldn't let Robin get away with anything. Robin's face fell. But, sadly, he put Batbear in the seat. After buckling him in he nodded.

"Alright. I'm ready." Robin said dejectedly.

Batman gave him one final look before nodding. "Lets go."

The duo crept their way up the side of an old factory. It was easy to tell that Mr. Freeze was there. Already the air was getting colder. Robin could see his breath.

They crept closer and closer. As they did Robin began to shiver. He wished his cape was thicker. Maybe he should have worn his snow suit. Batman on the other hand seemed unaffected. He led the way up to the top of the roof. Below they could see the men standing in the frozen warehouse. The men all had thick snowsuits on. They'd be slow with all that padding, but they'd also be dangerous. They all had two large guns and a round of ammunition slung over their shoulders. Plus, Batman and Robin would be slow. The icey ground would be hard to work on and the cold would make them lethargic.

For a moment Batman considered rushing back to the batcave to get their snowsuits. There wouldn't be time for that though. Mr. Freeze had all that blood from the bloodbank. The timer beside it only had fifteen minutes left. After that Mr. Freeze would destroy it all. Patients would die if the blood was destroyed.

So, with a nod to Robin, Batman leapt through the roof. While everyone fired at him Robin ran down and along the side of the building. Everyone was focused on Batman so they barely noticed when the boy clamored through a downstairs window, silent.

He made his way over to the crates, unsure of what to do now. They were much too big for him to move on his own. He pulled out some batarangs. Might as well go after Mr. Freeze then.

He threw them and they cracked right into Mr. Freeze's suit. The ice man roared when he turned to him. "Oh, you brought Boy Blunder?"

"Wonder!" Robin yelled as Mr. Freeze shot at him with his ice gun. "It's Boy _Wonder!"_ Oh how he hated Joker for the nickname. Joker had gone around calling him that a month ago and the rest of the villains seemed to have taken a liking to it as well. It just annoyed him. He wasn't a Boy Blunder. He didn't make mistakes! At least... not all the time.

"It's time for the Dynamic Duo to end." Mr. Freeze drawled. He shot more at Robin, but the little bird nimbly jumped out of the way.

Mr. Freeze smirked."If you don't have traction, you won't be so flighty." He shot at the ground, a fresh layer of ice forming. Robin squeaked as his feet slipped from under him. Mr. Freeze didn't laugh as Joker would have. He simply aimed his gun and fired.

Robin's jump line pulled him out of the way just in time. Robin hung from the rafters, staring down below. Mr. Freeze was shooting the ground now, making it an icy wasteland. It would be almost impossible for him and Batman to fight now! They wouldn't even be able to stand up. Even the thugs in their snowsuits and boots were slipping all over the place.

Batman seemed to have the same idea. He nodded to Robin and the two of them hightailed it to the windows. They'd have to get their snowsuits after all.

"If you don't have a car, you won't be able to get away." They heard Mr. Freeze say.

Suddenly there was a flash of light. Bombs were thrown out the window and the batmobile suddenly went up in flames.

Batman swore and jumped back inside. It looked like he'd have to end it now after all. He skidded along the ice but even so attempted to take down Mr. Freeze from a distance.

Robin had other ideas. "Batbear!" Robin screamed in fright. His bear was in the car! His bear was on fire! He was going to lose the bear _again_.

He ran for the car, grabbing all the ice pellets he could and throwing them at the windshield. They cleared the fire momentarily. Only for a moment though. Robin wouldn't have much time. He smashed through the glass, tumbling inside the burning car. The batmobile was built to stand vast heat, but even bombs would have an effect.

Robin grabbed his singed Batbear and jumped back out of the window just as the fire spread to the fuel tank. The car exploded. Robin screamed. He and Batbear tumbled to the ground as a fiery blast of car parts rose into the air.

"Oh no." Robin whispered. Batman wouldn't be too pleased about that. He took a deep breath and grabbed a firmer hold of his stuffed animal. "Come on, Batbear. We have to go save the day."

With that he and his bear rushed back inside. Batman and Mr. Freeze were locked in combat. Batman wasn't doing too good. He was barely able to keep his footing on the ice, while Mr. Freeze seemed to be getting the upper hand.

"Did you hear him scream?" Mr. Freeze asked. "It seems the Dynamic Duo is down one member."

Batman growled and punched through the glass shield on Mr. Freeze's suit. The man barely seemed phased. He shot at Batman's hand, turning it to a block of ice, and kicked him aside. "Now there will be no Dynamic Duo at all." The man sneered, holding his gun to Batman's head. "It'll turn you to ice and shatter you into a million pieces."

"Think again!" Robin screamed.

Mr. Freeze spun around as a figure came baralling torwards him. He shot blindly, encasing the figure in ice.

"Robin!" Batman cried.

But a second later a green boot slammed into Mr. Freeze's face. The villain went down, smashing his unprotected head off of the ground. Robin stood up, perfectly unharmed. He stuck his tongue out at the now unconscious Mr. Freeze.

"You're ok." Batman said, shocked.

Robin nodded with a smile. "I'm ok. Batbear saved the day." He looked worriedly now at his bear, encased in a block of ice. "It'll melt, right?"

"Right." Batman said, relieved.

"The car is destroyed." Robin said as they heard sirens in the distance.

Batman sighed picked up his communicator. "Alfred? We're going to need a pick up."

* * *

><p>An hour later all three crime fighters were back in the batcave. Dick was wrapped in blankets and had his feet in a bucket of warm water. Batman was much the same. Currently his arm, which had been frozen, was slowly being heated by space heaters. Alfred was bustling around them, giving out warm coco and continually checking their temperatures.<p>

"I understand the two of you being popsicles." Alfred said as he wrapped another blanket around Dick. "But I must inquire as to how _Batbear_ became one."

"He saved us." Dick chirped happily. The bear was surrounded by space heaters as well. Dick was also using a hairdryer to melt the ice. Alfred had promised the bear would be fine, if a bit wet. Dick was cheerful and ever so proud of his stuffed animal.

"And how did that happen?" Alfred inquired.

"He distracted Mr. Freeze for me so I could take him out."

"Very nice." Alfred said. He handed Dick another cup of hot chocolate and then made his way to Bruce. "That bear seems to have quite a few accidents." Alfred muttered.

Bruce just nodded. "I think we may need to line that bear with Kevlar."

"And fireproof him as well it seems." Alfred sighed. "Perhaps, Master Bruce, you should get him his own utility belt."

"It's a bear, Alfred."

"And apparently Batbear is also your newest partner." Alfred nodded towards the boy.

Dick was talking happily to the bear, praising him for his good work and apologizing for getting him frozen.

"Don't worry, Batbear." Robin said cheerfully. "Next time I'll let _you_ take him out."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed!**

**Please leave me a review. **


	27. Robin Year One

**A/N: I have had several questions about the continuity of my story, which is obviously a bit AU. I try to follow closely with the real timeline, only I've bumped it back a few years for added cuteness. I've been meaning to write this since Day One of my story. So here is a series of oneshots- glimpses if you will- into Dick and Bruce's life on their journey for Dick becoming Bruce's son.**

**Robin Year One:** **This will deal with how Dick became Robin and all the little AUS that happen in my story. In my story "Belief" I had a small contest where people could request something. JakeFL's and AdrenaWolf's requests will be part of this "Year BLANK" series, although not in this particular chapter. Some requests from PhantomFeline/copperflame555 and ARL15 are also incorporated… so free fic for you!**

**If you have any questions about their relationship let me know! I'd be glad to fill you in… and probably write a one-shot about it.**

**This series will be a couple chapters long so I hope you'll thoroughly enjoy it! **

**Also, last thing, I want to thank KKCopper very **_**very**_** much for helping me with this. She's gone over my work and helped me rewrite stuff even when I think it stunk. She's a wonderful person. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

><p><strong>Birthday<strong>

**March 21****st**

**Haley's Circus**

"Cât de mult mai mult timp?" _How much longer?_ Dick asked eagerly. Little Dick Grayson bounced from foot to foot, his eyes never leaving the clock.

"Cinci minute mai mult." His father chuckled. _Five more minutes_

The five year olds eyes met his. "De ce nu putem merge în acum?" _Why can't we go in now?_

"Acest lucru va ruina surpriza." _That will ruin the surprise._

"Dar Tata," Dick groaned. "Ştiu deja sale o petrecere surpriza. O faci în fiecare an!" _But daddy, I already know it's a surprise party. You do it every year!_

"Maybe this year we're surprising you by _not_ having the party." John Grayson teased.

The boy paused for a second. His eyes widened at the mention. He didn't want that to happen! His father chuckled softly and ruffed his hair. He leaned down to whisper in his ear. "It is a surprise party." Dick's smile grew widely and he nodded eagerly. John smiled again. "Remember to speak English, ok buddy?"

"Ok." Dick agreed. He didn't really like English. It was hard to speak. But only his family and Mr. Haley spoke any Romanian.

"Ready?" John asked. Dick nodded eagerly, already imagining his mother's freshly baked chocolate cake and the stack of presents. Maybe this year his mother would even let him learn to swallow fire like he'd been begging to learn. After all, he was turning _six. _He wasn't a little boy anymore.

John parted the tent flaps and they walked in.

"Surprise!"

* * *

><p><strong>The Fall<strong>

**June 17****th**

**Gotham City Fair Grounds**

"Putem mergergepracticaacum? Practica" Dick demanded, bouncing up in down at his seat at their family's table. "Practica!" _Can we go to practice now?_

"_Aşteptaţi un moment Dickey, nu am terminat de mâncat încă._"His father said lightly, still chewing his bagel. _Wait a moment, Dickey. We haven't finished eating yet._

"English, Dickey." His mother corrected gently. Although their first language was Romanian, the three had learned to speak English. Well, John and Mary had learned English. They'd been rather lenient with Dick. They wanted him to learn it better though now that he was growing older. When they talked with the crowds and guests and did interviews it was always helpful to speak the same language as them.

"Finish eating so we go practice!" Dick exclaimed in English. He tumbled under the table and did a handstand, waiting impatiently. "You said we could go early today before anyone else was there. You said we'd work on my triple flip!"

John Grayson chuckled. "Ok. How about you go ahead first and get into your costume. We'll follow in a few minutes."

Dick gave a squeal of delight and took off. His parents hurried from their trailer, watching as their tiny son bounded across the field towards the big top which had been put up in Gotham.

"Aşteptaţi până când vom ajunge acolo înainte de a vă urca pe trapez." John called after him. _Wait until we're there before you go on the trapeze!_

"Voi tata!" Dick called over his shoulder. _I will, daddy!_

John turned to his wife with a sigh. "I swear, Mary, the only way we'll keep him close is with a leash."

Dick was excited for tonight's performance. Not that tonight was going to be any different. He was _always_ excited for their performances. He couldn't wait to fly through the air. It was the best feeling in the world.

What was that song the lion tamer was trying to teach him? "He floats through the air with the greatest of ease." Dick started singing, struggling with the English words. "The man on the flying, the flying trapeze." Dick forgot the next lines so he continued repating the same two lines over and over again.

He walked into the show room to put on his costume. The green outfit with a little red tunic had the letter "r" on his chest, for his name Richard. Once he was ready_,_ he rushed out.

Richard glanced around the big tent, looking for the ringmaster. Mr. Haley should be here. If he was then he could start the music for him. That way, once his parents finally arrived, they wouldn't have any excuse for delaying their practice.

"The man on the flying, the flying trapeze." Dick sang softly. He wished he remembered the next words to the song. "The flying trapeze." He kept singing the line over and over again as he went in search of Mr. Haley.

His singing abruptly cut off when he heard voices. "-be a shame if anything would happen to them." The voice he heard wasn't on he recognized. It was deep and almost a growl, the words garbled.

Dick crept forward, seeing Mr. Haley talking with a man he didn't recognize. The man was tall and thin. His hair was slicked back and he had on a gold chain. He was chewing a toothpick in his mouth and had on an expensive looking suit.

Mr. Haley was red in the face, angry. "We don't need your kind of help, Zucco."

"Zucco?" Dick repeated the word. It wasn't an English word he recognized.

"Ah, but trust me, you do need Tony Zucco's protection." The man in the expensive suit said. Dick shivered at his tone. He sounded oily.

"We don't need protection." Mr. Haley snarled. Dick had never seen him so angry.

Suddenly Zucco's eyes fell on Dick. He said something that Dick didn't understand, but the man was waving him forward, a gesture that the six year old knew well. He hurried out from his hiding spot to Mr. Haley's side.

The ring master paled and he quickly pulled Dick up into his arms. He placed his hand over top of Dick's head protectively, making the other man chuckle.

"See? You do care for him. You wouldn't want anything to happen to the Flying Graysons, now would you?"

Dick frowned, trying to figure out the meaning behind the words.

"Nothing will, now get out of here before I call the police." Mr. Haley growled.

Police. That was a word Dick understood. He snuggled closer to Mr. Haley, suddenly worried. The police only were called in if something bad happened. That must mean this person- this Tony Zucco, was bad.

"Fine. You don't want my protection? It'll be your loss." The man laughed and soon was gone.

"Who was that?" Dick asked softly, staring up at Mr. Haley. "What was he saying?"

Mr. Haley still looked pale, but he gave Dick a smile. "Hey, don't worry about it, kiddo. He was just trying to scare us."

"Scary." Dick agreed.

The ringmaster forced another smile. "Were you going to practice, Dickey? Here… I'll start the music for you."

* * *

><p>It was hours before the actual performance. Dick couldn't wait though. The performance was the best part of the whole evening! His family was decked out in their new costumes. Fireworks filled the sky. People poured into the tent. They filled the stands, watching simple acts by the performers, or staring in wonder at the animals that were waiting around.<p>

The Flying Graysons were standing by the entrance smiling and waving at people. When a family would come up they'd autograph their programs, maybe take a picture with them as well. Dick was excited for tonight's performance. His father and mother had worked with him and this time he just _knew_ he'd get that flip down perfectly!

"This way, Mr. Wayne." Mr. Haley's voice rang out. Dick looked up, interested. Mr. Haley hardly ever was out before the performance. Usually he was making sure everything was ok back stage. "Mr. Wayne, I'd like to introduce you to our star performers: The Flying Graysons!"

Dick smiled up at the man. He was big with big muscles and tanned skin. His hair was slicked back too and his suit looked extremely expensive. There was a lady with red hair and a thin white dress beside him, hanging onto his arm.

"Pleased to meet you." The man said with a performer's smile. His eyes landed on Dick. The boy waved at him, his eyes glowing in excitement. "I'm eager to see your performance. I hear it's the best around."

"It is!" Dick piped up happily.

Mr. Wayne laughed. "I'll hold you to that." He said with a smile.

"Brucie, let's get a picture." The lady on his arm said. She handed Mr. Haley a camera and he took their photo together. Dick grinned widely.

"There you are, miss." Mr. Haley said. "Now, Mr. Wayne, let me escort you to your seat. The show will be starting soon."

"We should go get ready." John Grayson said. He swung Dick onto his shoulders and they walked back, ready for their performance.

* * *

><p>It seemed forever before the words Dick had been waiting to hear came. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages… I present to you the Fearless Flying Graysons!"<p>

Dick squealed in delight. Across from him on the other platform a spotlight fell on his parents. They were smiling and waving at the crowd.

"As always, the Flying Graysons are performing their daring feats without the safety of a net!"

The crowd went wild as John and Mary began just as the music started. His father jumped out onto the trapeze. When he swung back his wife swung after him, doing a flip high into the air. Their hands met and they swung backwards.

Now it was _his_ turn.

"And now the youngest member of this amazing family… Richard Grayson! Little Richard is only six years old!" The rest of Mr. Haley's words were drowned out by the cheers from the crowd. Dick smiled widely as the spotlight fell on him. He waved at the crowd.

Then, hearing his cue, he jumped. His mother caught him as always. Now their real performance could begin.

Dick always found that being on the trapeze was the best part of the day for him. It was the happiest he'd ever been. He soared through the air; he flipped; he turned. He loved hearing the cries from the crowd, the startled gasps, and most importantly: the applause.

All too soon his parents deposited him back on the platform. They didn't want him in the final act yet, it was too dangerous for him. Dick smiled back at them though as they leapt off for the final part. He watched, enthralled.

Suddenly a sound started to break its way into his thoughts. It was a rattling sound. Dick looked up above him and gave a cry. The wires were trembling.

"Get off!" He shouted at his parents. "Mami! Tati! The Wires!"

He called out his warning just as his parents were swinging towards him. His mother gave him her customary smile of reassurance that she always did at this part of the performance. But suddenly, her face transformed into absolute terror.

The trembling grew suddenly louder and louder until it cut off all together. Dick heard his mother gasp. He saw a similar look of horror on his father's face.

"Dick!" His mother cried.

And then they were falling.

Down

Down

Down

Down….

* * *

><p><strong>Memories<strong>

**July 1****st**

**Batman: Gotham City Fair Grounds**

Four days.

It had been four days and still he hadn't found any evidence to point to the culprit. All he'd found was a stray toothpick from one of Gotham's prestigious clubs, a pack of cigarettes, and missing bolts. It was all evidence to suggest that someone had murdered the Graysons, but not enough to convict anyone.

Four days ago he'd watched as the cables had broken and the Flying Graysons had fallen to their deaths. He'd watched in horror as the mother's lips had parted, giving a last cry to their six year old son up on the platform. He'd seen the look of utter terror on the child's face. The disbelief, the sadness, and the incomprehension as well. While everyone had been staring at the bodies lying on the ground, Bruce had been looking up at the child. He was young, younger than Bruce had been when he'd lost his parents.

Bruce had watched, as if distanced from the scene, as the tiny child had raced down to the bodies. He'd just lied there, sobbing and shaking them as if it would wake them up.

He'd wanted to make sure that no one would ever have to lose their parents as he had. That's why he had become the Batman in the first place. Yet, for that one hapless moment, the Graysons had fallen and there was nothing he could do. Now their little son was left behind, alone. What good was Batman? He hadn't even been able to stop that- the basic thing he'd wanted to stop more than anything else in the world.

The least he could do now for the child was to bring his parents' murder to justice. But tonight was the circus's last night in town. Yesterday had been the funeral for the Graysons. Bruce had paid for it though he hadn't gone. Tonight the circus was leaving… and little Richard Grayson was being left behind.

"What are you hoping to find?" Lieutenant Gordon asked as Batman opened the door to the Graysons' trailer.

"Anything." Batman answered truthfully. Perhaps the Graysons were involved in Gotham's underground or had somehow offended one of them? He was just looking for something, a reason, or some type of evidence.

Batman's eyes searched the tiny trailer. Costumes and clothing were scattered around. Two beds were in the corner. On one sat a worn purple elephant, obviously the boy's. Bruce frowned. It didn't look like anyone had been around here.

"Hasn't anyone given the boy his things?" Batman asked. He went to the bed and picked up the stuffed animal.

"He's being put in the orphanage." Gordon said regretfully. "They don't have room for everyone's belongings."

"Then what is going to happen to all of this?" Batman demanded. This was all the child had left of his family!

"I don't know. I suppose the circus folk will get rid of it or reuse it." Gordon answered. He looked at the rigid bat. "I'll wait outside." He said softly. There was something dangerous right now with Batman and it worried him. The police officer stepped outside. Not too much later he left the scene all together.

Batman sat on the bed, staring into the elephant's eyes. This was a loved toy. And there, over by the window, was a picture of the family together. Posters of the Flying Graysons hung around the room. Everywhere he looked was a precious memory. Certainly the boy would want these things. They were all he had left of his parents.

With sudden vigor, Batman searched the room. There were no clues whatsoever, but that wasn't what he was looking for anymore. He found some suitcases and packed some of the boy's clothing, photos of his parents, Christmas ornaments, some toys, and anything he thought might hold a memory for the child. He knew the lieutenant was right. The child wouldn't be able to keep everything. But, he could give him some of his most precious things, couldn't he?

As Batman loaded the things into the batmobile he decided he was right. The boy needed something of comfort right now.

It was easy work to break into the orphanage where the tiny boy had been put. Carefully Batman placed a single suitcase beside the boy's bed. He would keep the others in the Batcave. Once the boy was adopted, he'd drop them off. He wanted the boy to have something to remember his parents by. When Bruce had lost his parents at least he'd been able to keep his home and all his belongings, everything that held their memories. After he'd failed the child this was the least he could do.

He went to the window, but a soft whimper from the boy made him freeze. He glanced back at the bed where the child lay. The bedsheets were tangled about him and he hugged his pillow tightly. Dried tears stained his cheeks. Bruce winced. He remembered the nightmares. This little boy… Bruce wished he could have done something to prevent this.

With a soft sigh he darted out the window. He had barely exited before the boy awoke. Batman froze just outside the window. He waited, holding his breath.

A moment later a delightful squeal filled the air. "Peanut!" The Grayon boy cried. Batman peered inside, hoping he'd chosen the right items.

It seemed he had. Richard Grayon was holding the stuffed animal close, kissing its head. In the suitcase there was also a photo album. Below that was Dick's latest costume, then a few posters. Bruce watched as Dick pulled out a poster, gently tracing the faces of his parents.

The child's face turned to the window, a small smile on his face. "multumec." Richard whispered. _Thank you._

And although Bruce knew that the child hadn't seen him, the words released a bit of weight from his chest.

* * *

><p><strong>Adoption<strong>

**July 15th**

**Gotham City Orphanage**

Dick stared wide eyed at the man in front of him. He was a big man. He had wide shoulders, and big hands, and perfectly combed hair. He wore a business suit that was probably more expensive than anything Dick's family had ever owned. The man had a scowl on his face as he talked with the lady in charge of the orphanage.

But, when he looked at Dick, the scowl faded. Instead, there was a small smile, and behind that smile there was something else. Something that looked like sadness.

"Hello, Dick, my name is Bruce Wayne." The man said. His voice was deep, but somehow gentle. The man knelt in front of Dick. He seemed hesitant now, gauging the boy's reaction. "I…I wanted to adopt you."

"Adoptă mine?" Dick asked. In his shock he'd accidentally switched to his native tongue. He blushed. The lady didn't like when he spoke in Romanian.

But Bruce however just smiled. "Da. Aş dori să vă adopte. Atâta timp cât ok cu el." The man answered in perfect Romanian. _Yes. I would like to adopt you. As long as your ok with it._

Dick looked nervously from Bruce to the adoption lady. A smile spread across his face. "Aş dori ca" He answered softly. _I'd like that__**. **_Then, before Bruce could react, the child threw himself into Bruce's arms, holding on tight.

After a long moment Bruce's arms circled around the small boy. He'd never felt something so friagile in his arms. He pulled the boy closer and pressed his face against the child's hair. He promised himself then and there had he would keep the little boy safe. This child wouldn't have to suffer the way he had.

Dick pulled back from him, another nervous smile on his lips. "Vă simţiţi în siguranţă." He whispered, resting his head against Bruce's shoulder. _You feel safe._

Bruce stood up, cradling the boy against him. "Promit că voi proteja." He murmured gently.

_I promise I'll protect you._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading! **

**Please let me know what you thought though! I'd like to know your favorite, and especially how you thought my take on Dick's past is. I hope you'll continue reading! **

**Up Next: Bruce doesn't quite understand what being a parent is all about and this leaves Dickey feeling lonely... but soon Bruce will learn.**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Also, in your review please let me know if I should make this a seperate story or just continue it in Of Flying Robins. It will most likely be more than a few chapters long!**

**Please leave me a review!**


	28. Robin Year One announcement

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT ABOUT THE LAST CHAPTER BELOW!**

**Hey guys, sorry. This isn't an update. I just wanted to let everyone know that because the last chapter (Robin Year One) was so popular, I'm going to make it its own story. **

**It is now in a story called: Flying Robins On the Way. This will be continuing Dick's journey to becoming Robin and to becoming Bruce's son.**

**CHAPTER TWO IS UP!**

**So please go to "Flying Robins On the Way" to read the next chapter! More chapters for both it AND Of Flying Robins will be appearing soon!**

**-Korii**


	29. The Old SwitchARoo

**A/N: Hello everyone! Its been forever since I've updated hasn't it? Yes. It has... sorry about that. I don't have an excuse other than writers block.**

**This was written on Request of KKCopper who is AWESOME. She wanted a cute fluffy and funny story with Dick and Wally and I hope I delivered! Its also really long so I hope that will make up for being away so long. So enjoy the 6,321 words of story!**

**In this story Dick is 8 and Wally is 10 (going on 11)**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own anything**

* * *

><p>"You guys seriously have a costume trunk?" Wally asked incredulously as he and Dick dug through the trunk in the Batcave. "That is so weird."<p>

The trunk they were going through was filled to the brim with different outfits in various sizes. Everything from frilly dresses to gangster pinstripes filled the trunk. In other boxes there were accessories such as shoes, glasses, or fake cigars. On wig heads, hair of every color and style filled another upright trunk. In small drawers there were beards and mustaches of all sorts.

Wally pulled out one of the fake mustaches and put it on his upper lip. "This is so weird."

Dick made a face at him. "How else are we supposed to go on undercover missions?" He demanded. He didn't like the way that Wally was making fun of their stuff.

"I don't know." Wally shrugged. "Uncle Barry and I never need to do that."

"That's because you're not cool enough."

"Hey! I am too!"

Dick shook his head and crossed his arms seriously. "You have to make everyone believe you're someone you're not. It takes a lot of acting skills." The nine year old clucked his tongue. "I don't think you're up for the challenge."

Wally glared at him. "That's what _you_ think! I bet I could do any of this undercover stuff."

"Prove it."

Wally was never one to back down from a challenge. He looked around curiously at the different things in the trunk before grabbing an armful of them and rushing behind a screen to change. When he reappeared he was wearing one of Robin's undercover outfits – a pinstriped suit, small glasses, and a toothpick in his mouth.

"Hey there, my name is Robbie Malone." The boy said in a terrible Brooklyn accent.

Dick stared at him for a moment before bursting out into giggles. "That's the best you've got?"

"Hey! You punk better not be laughing at me or… or I'll…." Wally trailed off. "What would a gangster do?"

"Shoot you in the head?" Dick suggested.

"That's right! I'll shoot you in the head." Wally continued in his accent.

Dick just kept laughing. "You'd never fool anyone."

"Oh yea, well I'd like to see _you_ do it, Mr. Know It All." Wally snapped. His cheeks flushed red as he pulled off his hat.

Smirking Dick ran over to the wig heads and pulled a red one onto his head. He turned around with a silly look on his face. "Hi there, My name is Wally West and I can't imitate anyone else to save my life!"

"Hey!" Wally grabbed a black wig and shoved it on top of his hair. "Well _my _name is Dick Grayson and I'm not tall enough to ride a rollercoaster yet!"

Dick pouted. "No far." He whined. Wally stuck his tongue out. Crossing his arms, Dick scowled at him. "Fine then. My name is Wally West and all I can do is run fast."

"I'm Robin and I can't reach the steering wheel on the batmobile."

"I'm Kid Flash and I _still_ can't vibrate through walls like the Flash."

"I'm Robin and the villains laugh to death when they see me!"

"I'm Kid Flash and no one can even remember my name!"

There was a long pause as the boys contemplated each other. They stared each other down until, finally, they burst out laughing.

"You're not such a bad Kid Flash." Wally said through his laughter.

"And you're not too bad of a Robin." Dick giggled.

Suddenly Wally's eyes lit up. "I bet I could be Robin."

Dick's giggles stopped when he saw the excitement in his friend's eyes. Frowning he tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I bet I could convince people that I was Robin." Wally insisted. His excitement grew tenfold as the plan in his head folded out. "And I bet _you_ could convince people that you were Kid Flash!" Dick still didn't looked convinced. Wally held up a finger, showing him to wait a moment, then he flashed off into the distance of the cave.

When he returned Wally had on one of Robin's costumes. It was a bit snug but otherwise fit fine due to the stretchy material. The black wig on his head had been combed into Dick's style. He'd placed the mask on his face. The only thing giving it away that it _wasn't_ Robin was the fact that this boy was taller and covered in freckles.

"See? I'm Robin!" Wally said, spinning around to show it off. He shoved his Kid Flash costume in Dick's hands. "You try it."

Dick's face scrunched up, but he hurried behind the screen to change. When he came out there stood a tiny, pale, version of Kid Flash. Wally's face lit up. "See?" He demanded. He zoomed over and dragged Dick to the mirror. "You can't tell."

"But how do we convince anyone? I don't have super speed and you can't do my tricks." Dick argued.

Wally smirked triumphantly. "You were the one who said that you were a great actor. You said I wasn't up for the challenge. Well here is the challenge! You're going to convince Uncle Barry you're me, and I'm going to convince Batman I'm you! Whoever gets found out first looses!"

Dick shook his head. "It won't work. He's _Batman._"

"Come _on_." Wally whined. When the younger boy still wouldn't concede Wally rolled his eyes. "Oh, I see. You're _scared_."

Immediately the boy's head shot up. "I'm not scared!"

"Yes you are. You don't think that you'll be able to do it. You know I'd win so you're scared."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Fine, KF. You're on." Dick's face lit up at the idea of a challenge. "But we're going to need to do some work."

The boys sat down in front of the mirror while Dick pulled out all of the different costuming makeup and supplies. He began to put small dots all over his skin to give him Wally's freckles while Wally took out coverup to lighten up his skin color.

After that the boys tried to teach each other about their different moves. Dick tried to teach Wally his signature cackle, but the other boy just couldn't get it. So instead they recorded Dick's voice onto his wrist computer so Wally could pretend to do it. Dick learned how to walk like Wally and what he did when he was nervous. Wally learned how to do a handstand and the best ways to avoid Batman.

Within the hour, both boys felt confident in their roles.

"Come on, let's go play video games until Uncle – I mean… until Barry comes to pick you up." Wally giggled. Dick smiled brightly and the two raced upstairs to play GoKart.

"I'm going to beat you Wal—Dick." Dick changed his wording at the last moment as they raced upstairs.

"Of course you will, you're Kid Flash!" Wally cried. This made the boys burst into more laugher as they rushed up the steps.

They tumbled into the game room just as Alfred was exiting it. The boys immediately froze. The butler gave them a once over, raising a brow questioningly. "What is going on here?" He asked curiously.

The boys glanced at each other. Then, Wally cleared his throat. When he spoke he did so in the higher pitched tone that was close to Dick's voice. "We were just going to play videogames."

Alfred gave him a slow look before looking at Dick. "You both know you are not to be wearing your superhero costumes upstairs."

"Oh, come on, Alfred." Wally whined. "Just this _once?_"

"It's just until my Uncle Barry gets back." Dick insisted, trying to tone his voice to mimic Wally's. Alfred's eyes shot to him. "I'll be leaving with him as Kid Flash so it'll be easier that way!"

"I see." Alfred's lips twitched up in a smile as he realized what the boys were trying to do. He turned to Wally, the same smile on his lips. "Very well then, Master Richard. You and Master Wallace may wear your costumes."

"Thanks Alfred!" The boys chorused together.

The butler nodded and bowed out of the room. As soon as he was gone the boys began to jump up and down. "Did you see that? Did you see that?" Wally demanded. "We did it! We fooled him!"

"We did." Dick agreed readily. His smile stretched across his face widely. "This is going to be the _best_."

"You bet, KF." Wally giggled with a wink.

"Sure thing, Robin." Dick replied.

* * *

><p>Batman and Flash were exhausted. They'd just spent eight hours on a Justice League mission over on the other side of the world. Poison Ivy had teamed up with Lex Luthor. Combining their powers, they'd used her weapons to get half of the male members of the Justice League under their control and had been raining havoc on the cities.<p>

With Lex's brain and Ivy's mind controlling abilities, it had taken hours to get the members back under control. After that they'd still needed to bring in both of the super criminals. Then there had been cleanup duty after that.

Needless to say, both heroes were beat. Barry moaned softly as they teleported into the Batcave. He rubbed his eyes, barely able to keep them open. "I have bruises on my bruises." He whined to Bruce.

The other man pulled off his cowl and glanced tiredly at the screen. He too was hurt. Fighting the Man of Steel, two Green Lanterns, Martian Manhunter, and various other Justice League members wasn't easy. Not only that but this would be his third night without sleep. He wasn't sure how he was going to make it out on patrol tonight.

Suddenly there was a cry from the other end of the batcave and two figures were rushing down the steps. "Uncle Barry! Uncle Barry!" A figured barreled right into his legs and wrapped their arms around tightly. "You're back!"

"Hey, kid." Wearily he ruffled his nephew's hair.

"Batman!" Another higher pitched voice cried as Robin cart wheeled his way to Batman's side. "Did you get them?"

"Yes." Bruce rubbed his eyes again. It seemed the two boys at least weren't exhausted.

"Alright, buddy." Barry said. He stretched again, wincing as his muscles protested. "Time to go home. Race you back?"

"No, it's ok." Kid Flash said. "You're tired."

Barry smiled at the boy. He blinked for a second. For some reason Wally seemed smaller than he remembered. But then again, he was exhausted. He was pretty sure his depth perception was off. "Thanks kid." He said with a smile. "What do you say we just go home and relax? We'll take the night off."

"Sounds great!" The child agreed enthusiastically.

"Can we do that too?" Robin demanded, pulling on Bruce's cape. "You're tired."

Batman shook his head. "You know crime doesn't stop, Robin."

The boy sighed deeply but he nodded. "Yea, yea."

Glancing sideways at the boy, Bruce frowned for a moment. There was something off about Robin tonight.

"Well, Bats, I'll see you tomorrow." Barry broke into his thoughts as he lifted Kid Flash onto his back for the piggyback ride the child was demanding.

"Bye Dick!" Kid Flash waved. A huge smile lit up his face.

Robin had a similar grin on his face, giggling himself. "See you, Wally!"

* * *

><p>"Alright, kid," Flash said as they skidded to a halt in his living room not three minutes later. He deposited Wally on the couch. "Why don't you choose a movie and I'll go make dinner."<p>

"Ok." Wally agreed.

Flash smiled at him and ruffled his hair before going to the kitchen. A loud yawn escaped him and he moaned. He hurt _everywhere_. Not only that but he was so tired he was sure he was going to fall asleep during the movie. Wally wouldn't blame him though. He was a good kid.

As he began to make a huge amount of spaghetti for the two of them he heard Wally in the other room, getting the tv set up. A moment later the boy ran into the room, a bright smile on his face as he held up _Star Wars_.

"_Again?"_ Flash pretended to groan. "We watch that all the time."

"Please?" Wally begged.

Rolling his eyes, Barry nodded. "Once more won't hurt." He said that every time though.

"Thank you!" Wally exclaimed. Then he turned and walked out of the room.

"Wally, wait!" Barry cried suddenly. Since when did his nephew _walk_ anywhere?

"What is it?" The child turned around and blinked at him from behind his red goggles. Barry rubbed his eyes and blinked again, frowning at the boy in confusion.

"You're walking."

"Yes."

"_Why?"_ There was something wrong about the boy. Barry couldn't figure out what. He rubbed his eyes again, trying to wake himself up enough to figure out just what was wrong – besides the fact that Wally wasn't speeding about the house.

Suddenly Wally's face became very serious. "Dick dared me." He said gravely.

"What?"

Wally nodded firmly. "He said I couldn't be a normal person for a whole day."

"There isn't anything wrong with being a speedster." Barry said quickly.

Wally flashed him a grin. "I know _that._ But I'm going to show him!"

The words were just so _Wally_ that whatever had been bugging Barry about him ebbed. He rolled his eyes. "Kids." He muttered.

Wally and Dick were always doing things like that. Wally would dare Dick not to use his batarangs on missions. Dick would dare Wally not to talk for three hours. Sometimes they dragged Roy into their little contests as well. And if Barry knew one thing it was that the kids wouldn't quit. Not until either Barry or Bruce finally got mad at them.

"I'm putting on the movie!" Wally said and he walked back out of the room.

"Alright! Dinner will be ready in five minutes." Barry wished Iris was around so that she could make them something more than just spaghetti.

Not three minutes later Wally was yelling for him. "Uncle Barry! Uncle Barry!"

"What?" Barry was there in under a second. The child was on the couch, pointing at the television screen where the news was playing. Barry turned to look. On screen Captain Boomarang was attacking a movie theatre.

"I'll be back in a flash." Barry promised and rushed out. "Finish making the spaghetti."

Smiling to himself Dick crawled off the couch. This was going _perfect_. Barry never guessed that he wasn't Wally. He was too tired to realize. Besides, Dick thought with a grin, he _was_ a good actor! Barry wouldn't guess that he wasn't Wally- not for hours at least. He was sure Batman would figure it out much sooner.

Dick hurried into the kitchen and when the spaghetti was ready he ladled it out onto the plates. He knew how much Wally ate and there was no way he'd be able to eat all of that. So he took a small portion for himself and dumped the rest of what Wally would have eaten down the garbage disposal.

When Flash returned a few minutes later Dick had his mouth covered in sauce and looked like he'd already eaten half the bowl. Barry gave him a tried smile and all but fell into the chair across from him. "Didn't wait for me, huh?" Barry teased lightly. He'd already begun heaping his plate full of food though.

"I was_ hungry."_

"You're always hungry."

"So are you!"

Barry laughed again. Within a few moments he'd finished eating. "Alright. Movie and then to bed. I'm beat."

Dick jumped off the chair and rushed into the other room to turn on the movie. Barry sped over to the couch and Dick climbed up next to him, cuddling into his side. Barry wrapped his arm around him and started the movie.

Within half an hour Barry was fast asleep. Dick smiled to himself and cuddled in closer. Wally was _never_ going to beat him!

* * *

><p>Wally couldn't believe it. This was the <em>best day of his life<em>. He was inside the _Batmobile!_ No one but Batman, Robin, and Alfred had ever been in the Batmobile before! He was ecstatic. He couldn't wait to tell Uncle Barry.

"Master Bruce, are you sure taking Master… _Richard_ on patrol with you is such a good idea?" Alfred asked nervously from the other side of the car. He glanced nervously at Robin in the seat beside him. "Perhaps Robin should stay home."

Wally's face fell. Luckily for him Batman shook his head. "I'm going to need a partner tonight, Alfred."

"You're too tired." Alfred insisted with a meaningful glance at Robin, which Bruce didn't notice. "You should both stay home, I believe."

"Not tonight Alfred." Batman pressed a button and the top hatch of the Batmobile shut. A delighted grin spread over Wally's face.

This was going to be _awesome_. Not only would he get to ride in the Batmobile but he'd get to be Batman's partner. He'd finally see how Batman worked up close! He'd get to experience one of Robin's adventures first hand! Dick was always telling him about how smart and cool Batman was. Now he was finally going to find out himself!

The Batmobile sped out of the cave and into the heart of Gotham. "What are we doing today?" Wally asked in excitement.

Batman gave him a slow glance, but quickly shook his head. Maybe he _was_ too tired to go on patrol. He could have sworn that Dick sounded like Wally for a moment…. But that was impossible. He was just exhausted, and having spent the day on a mission with Flash had messed up his thoughts. "We're sticking to simple gang busts tonight." Batman grumbled.

"Ok!"

Batman hummed in agreement. How was Robin still this awake this late at night? The boy's energy never ceased to amaze him. A moment later the Batmobile turned the corner and Batman opened the top hatch again. He motioned for Robin to follow him.

The boy crept along beside him. Batman nodded upwards and then he shot up his grappling hook and was flying up onto the roof top. Wally bit his lip as he fished the grappling hook out of his belt. Dick had showed him how to use it earlier. He hoped he didn't get it wrong.

He shot up his hook and winced as his arm tugged painfully at the suddenly tension as he was pulled up onto the roof. Batman was already at a skylight and glared at him as he landed. "You're slow tonight." He hissed softly.

Wally just grinned. Batman wanted speed? That was something Wally _could_ do.

He took his position up next to Batman and peered down into the room. He could see lots of thugs standing around with big guns over their shoulders. Wally's breath caught in his throat. Sure, he and Flash had fought bad guys before. They'd fought gangs and criminals a lot. However, the gangs in _his_ city didn't have guns like _those_.

"On three." Batman hissed softly. "You take out the arms shipments and I'll deal with the men."  
>"Ok." Wally's heart leapt into his throat. Suddenly he wasn't sure he could do this. How was he going to be able to do <em>that<em> without his super speed?

Batman held up his fingers to start the countdown.

Three…. Two…. One…

* * *

><p>The movie had ended awhile ago. Barry was still snoring away, but Dick couldn't sleep. He was used to stay up much later than this while going on patrol. Sighing, Dick crawled into Barry's lap so he could grab the remote and switch the channel. This was <em>boring<em>.

He started flipping through, but this late into the night there was nothing of interest on for the nine year old. So he changed to the news. Maybe there would be something interesting on there.

Suddenly he sprang up. "Uncle Barry!" He cried, shaking the man. "Uncle Barry, wake up!"

"What? What is it?" He sprang up, looking around.

"Captain Cold is at the bank." He exclaimed, pointing to the screen.

Barry groaned. He'd barely gotten two hours of sleep. Still, that would be enough for now. "Alright. Let's go." He grabbed Dick and sped the two down to Central City Bank.

"I'll deal with cold. You get the henchmen." Flash whispered as they appeared on the scene. He placed Kid Flash on the ground and sped into the bank.

Dick's eyes widened. This hadn't been his plan! How was he supposed to be Kid Flash _now?_ He didn't have super speed! That's what they'd all expect. Well that was ok… he was Robin and he could do it!

Suddenly a loud explosion echoed from inside. Dick gritted his teeth. Right now he didn't have time to worry. He had to be Kid Flash right now or else people were going to get hurt.

He ran as fast as he could around the side of the building and around a corner, coming to the back entrance. There were two guards standing watch.

Smirking, Dick reached for a batarang. His hand came up with nothing and Dick gave a soft gasp. That's right. He didn't have his utility belt! He didn't have anything! Suddenly dread filled up his stomach.

"Hey! There is Flash Boy!" One of the guards shouted.

Dick cursed Wally's bright costume as the guards rushed at him. _Now_ what was he supposed to do?

* * *

><p>"Oh come on!" Wally cried in frustration as he zoomed through the pockets of the utility belt. On the ground around him lay everything from tazers to batarangs to gas pellets and even a set of nunchucks. But where the heck were the explosives? He had to get rid of the arms that these guys were selling. There were nearly seven crates of the big guns. How else was he supposed to do that if not for the explosives?<p>

"Really?" Wally groaned as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "_Seriously_ Robin?"

"Hey!" He spun around as he came face to face with two of the thugs. The men cracked their knuckles and wicked smiles spread across their faces. "Looks like Baby Bat is all alone."

"The name is Robin!" Wally exclaimed. Why couldn't anyone ever remember his name? Even now that he was Robin they couldn't remember.

He didn't get to say anything more. A round of bullets was shot off at him as the thugs whipped their guns around. Wally gave a cry and quickly sped behind one of the crates.

"Woa!" The bald thug held up his hand, his eyes flicking around the room in shock. "What just happened?"

"I've never seen him do that before!" The other exclaimed.

A smirk came over Wally's face. He zoomed out from his hiding spot and up behind them, kicking them behind the knees. The two men fell to the ground and Wally laughed. He ran to the front of them and pulled off and disassembled their guns in less than a minute.

The thugs stared at him, mouths open and eyes wide. "Holy…." Baldy muttered.

"Since when can you do that?" The shorter one asked.

Wally just smirked. He pressed the button on the glove and opened his mouth as Dick's laugh echoed around the room. Then he sped forward and grabbed the two tugs, knocking their heads together. The two passed out, and the next second Wally wrapped them up with a length of rope he'd earlier gotten from Robin's utility belt.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Wally listened. All the other noises were coming from Batman's room. No one else was with him. So he returned to the matter at hand and once again began searching his utility belt for those explosives.

* * *

><p>Dick dusted off his hands with a smirk as he dropped the two guards. Finding the metal pipe lying around had worked just fine in place of his escrima sticks. He let out a cackle as he stepped into the room. It was a good thing Flash liked to talk a lot or else the hero would have caught him just for being so <em>slow<em>.

"Ok, let's work quickly." He found the guards lined up both inside the room where Flash and Captain Cold were fighting and in the areas surrounding it. Dick immediately dropped down on the first guard and began taking them out one by one.

It was almost impossible to hide in the shadows though with Kid Flash's bright yellow suit, and in no time the other thugs had noticed him and rushed over. Dick winced as they came close, then grabbed his make shift escrima sticks and began battling them off.

"What took you so long?" He heard Flash call to him. "And… what are you doing?"

Dick ignored him and just kept knocking the guards unconscious. Flash looked in puzzlement over at his side kick. What in the world was the kid doing? He wasn't talking, he wasn't zooming around, and he wasn't doing anything that Kid Flash usually did.

Suddenly it clicked. "Don't tell me this is because of your deal with Robin!" Flash cried as he dodged Captain Cold's ammo. "You seriously aren't going to stop using your powers _now_ because of a bet, are you?"

"I can do it!" Dick insisted, trying to cover a giggle and sound like Wally.

Flash groaned at the words but said nothing more. He was too caught up in his own battle to notice how Dick took down the thugs in ways that Wally never would be able to.

Finally he was finished with Captain Cold and Dick had managed to take out all of the henchmen. Breathing a sigh of relief, the tired speedster made his way to Dick's side with a loud yawn. "Bedtime." He said.

Dick nodded. "Ok."

Barry rubbed his eyes and stretched. Just then a loud buzzing sounded in his ear and Barry winced. "Yea? What is it?" He made a face and groaned. "Right _now?_" He paused again to listen. "Alright. We'll be there." Barry disconnected his communicator and turned to Kid Flash. "Alright Kid. Time to go back to Gotham."

Dick's eyes widened. "What? _Why?"_

Barry shrugged. "I don't know. Batman says you and I have to go back right now."

"Oh." A smirk flitted across his mouth. It looked like Wally had been caught. Which meant that _he_ was the winner.

"Come on." Barry said, gesturing for him to begin running.

Instead, Dick lifted his arms. Barry raised a brow in confusion. "Robin dared me, remember?" He tried to insist. "He can't see me running there!"

Barry rolled his eyes again. "Some day you boys are going to get in a lot of trouble for your silly contests." He grumbled. Despite this he picked up the boy. Before he started running though he paused. "Wait, this isn't about whatever bet you did with Robin, is it? Please don't tell me you dared him not to use his grappling hook for an evening. Batman almost killed me last time for that!"

"I didn't." Dick promised with another smirk. Barry breathed a sigh of relief and zoomed off towards Gotham City.

Batman was waiting for them in the Batcave, a dark scowl on his face. Beside him Robin stood, looking at the ground bashfully. "Hey Bats, whats up? Did the kids do something?" he looked back and forth between Robin and Kid Flash. "I know they were making dares but—hey!" Barry exclaimed as Bruce suddenly swiped Kid Flash out of his arms.

"What were you _thinking?"_ Bruce practically shouted in the child's face. Immediately Kid Flash's face fell and he looked down.

"Woa, what are you doing to my nephew?" Barry asked, suddenly wide awake. He tried to grab the boy bay but Bruce shoved him aside and continued glaring down at the boy. Kid Flash didn't try to get away though. In fact, he began to pout.

"You could have gotten yourselves killed!" Bruce was now glaring at both boys. "You are not prepared to fight without your abilities. You should never have done that."

"But we were both fine!" Robin protested suddenly. "I did what I was supposed to! I got rid of the guns!"

Barry blinked. "Wait. What's going on?" Why in the world did Robin sound like Wally?

"And I stopped all of Captain Cold's gang." Kid Flash added from his position in Batman's arms.

"You are both young." Bruce said slowly, obviously trying to control himself. "You were not prepared for any of that. Without your weapons, Dick, you couldn't have lasted too long. Without your speed, Wally, you would have been out in no time. You. could. have. been. _killed_."

"But we _weren't!"_ Kid Flash whined. He pouted more as he looked up at Bruce.

Now Kid Flash was sounding like Dick! And he was _pouting_ at the Dark Knight. Since when did his nephew do that? "What is going on?" Barry demanded again.

Bruce's glare fell on him. "That is Wally." He snapped, pointing at Robin, "This is Dick." He pulled the red wig off of Dick, revealing the stock of black hair.

Barry's mouth fell open. He turned to Robin – or rather Wally, the _real_ Wally. The boy looked ashamed as he pulled off his wig and mask, revealing green eyes and red hair. "But… but how…?"

"We were using the disguises trunk." Dick offered softly. "Wally said he was a better actor than me and could convince you that he was me."

"It was just for fun." Wally added.

"You have got to be kidding me." Barry groaned. He sped to his nephew's side and stared intently down at his face. He rubbed at his cheeks and the makeup came off, revealing the freckled skin beneath. "What were you _thinking?"_ Barry cried. "You can't go out on patrol with Batman! These guys are crazy! You could have been killed!" He grabbed Wally and pulled him in tightly against his chest.

"The same goes for you." Bruce added, glaring at his own son as he began to rub the makeup off his face.

"But we did good." Dick was protesting. "We convinced you we were each other! And I did fine without my weapons. I'm ok, Tati!"

Suddenly Barry whipped around, pressing his finger into Bruce's chest. "How could you let Wally go with you? You knew he wouldn't be safe!"

"I didn't know it was him." Batman growled.

"You're the World's Greatest Detective and you _didn't know?"_

Batman's eyes narrowed dangerous. "I haven't gotten sleep in three days and I just fought the Justice League. I am allowed some slack."

"And I made a really good Robin." Wally piped up.

Barry deflated. He grabbed Wally into a hug again before looking into his eyes. "You are never going to do that ever again."

"I won't." Wally promised. "I'd much rather be Kid Flash than Robin."

"Same here." Dick piped up. "I don't want to be Kid Flash. Robin is much cooler."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"That's enough." Bruce growled, cutting them both off. "You're both grounded. There will be no more of these bets. Understood?"

Wally snorted. "That's what you said that last three times." He let out a squeak as the batglare fell on him.

"If I have to say it _again_ you will be scrubbing down the batcave with your toothbrushes – no powers. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Both boys said sadly.

Batman nodded to Barry. The speedster nodded and picked up 'Robin'. "Come on, Wally. We'll go home. You can explain to your aunt tomorrow what you were doing."

"But Uncle Barry!" The boy protested as his uncle zoomed off. When they got home Barry sent Wally into wash up. When he came out he was back to being Wally West instead of Robin.

"That was stupid, Wally." Barry chastised lightly as his nephew climbed up onto the couch with him. The speedster smiled fondly though. "But you still did a good job. I mean, you convinced Batman for a pretty long time. That's saying something!" The boy beamed up at him. "So how was it working with Batman?"

"Alright. He's not fun at all though." Wally said sadly. "And he shouts _really _loud. When he figured out it was me he was really angry. I thought he was going to drop me off a building or something." Barry nodded in agreement. "But I _did_ get to ride in the Batmobile."

"No way." Barry's mouth dropped open. "I haven't even gotten in it yet!"

* * *

><p>"Daddy?" Dick peaked into Bruce's room that night. He couldn't sleep, not when Bruce was so angry at him. He wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that and that his mentor was so disappointed in him. It made him feel awful.<p>

"Come in." Bruce murmured. He was sitting up in bed, just staring at the wall.

Dick slowly climbed up onto the bed with him, biting his lip nervously. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so angry."

Gently Bruce pulled the child into his arms. "You didn't make me angry, Dickey. You scared me."

"Why?"

"I didn't know where you were. I wasn't sure if you were alright. The Flash's villains are different than ours and without your weapons you could have been completely defenseless against them. I thought you could be hurt." Bruce stroked the boy's cheek. "When you aren't with me I'm worried."

"I can take care of myself."

Bruce smiled softly. "It still worries me."

Dick nodded softly and cuddled up against his chest. "I'm sorry for scaring you." He apologized.

"I'll forgive you if you promise never to do it again."

"I promise!" Dick said quickly. He beamed up at his guardian. "How was KF? Was he an ok Robin?"

Bruce smirked. "He couldn't find anything in your utility belt. He ended up grabbing the weapons one by one and zooming them over to the processing plant to dispose of them."

Dick laughed. "I would make a great Kid Flash though! I didn't have super speed but I still took down everyone. If I _did_ have superpowers I would be awesome."

"Really?"

Dick nodded eagerly.

"Hm… Well I still prefer you as Robin."

The boy's smile was softer this time as he wrapped his arms around Bruce's chest. "Yea… me too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**** The end! Thank you for reading. Again, I'm sorry that its taken me so long to post a new chapter. I'm hoping that I'll have more for this story or for "Flying Robins on the Way" up soon. If you have any ideas for some chapters in here let me know! I could use the help with my writers block.**

**Again, thank you for reading and please leave me a review!**


	30. Extreme Easter Egg Hunt

**A/N: An Easter Fic for everyone! Its so late at night because I've been so busy. Sorry about that! I hope you don't mind. Enjoy the story!  
><strong>

**Also, I am probably the worst Easter Egg Hunter in the world. Just to let everyone know.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything:**

* * *

><p><strong>The Day Before Easter<strong>

**The Watch Tower**

"Hey Bruce!" The gleeful cry from the Scarlet Speedster rang through the Monitor Womb early in the morning.

The man in question grumbled under his breath and ducked his head as if that would help him escape. It didn't. Soon Barry Allen had his arm wrapped around Bruce's shoulders. The Bat continued to type away, trying to ignore the man.

"So… what are your plans for tomorrow?" The Flash asked happily.

Batman glanced out the corner of his eye, wincing when he was met with a pair of pink bunny ears on top of Barry's costume. The man stepped back and Bruce saw a basket full of plastic Easter eggs in his hand.

When Batman didn't answer, Flash just continued on. "We're having an Easter Egg hunt. I'm hiding everything now. Last year Wally found everything within three minutes. This year I'm hiding them all over the world so it will be harder." He grinned and picked an egg out of the basket. They were all yellow with the Flash symbol painted on top of them. "I made them myself."

"Good for you." Bruce muttered.

"What are you and Dick doing? He could join us if you want." Flash said.

Batman shook his head. "That's fine."

Flash nodded slowly, slowly glancing over him. "But you _are_doing an Easter Egg Hunt, right? Because I know you forgot last year. The poor kid was searching for ages because he thought you'd hid them really well. You don't want that to happen again, right?"

Bruce winced at the memory. He remembered perfectly clear what had happened. Poor Richard had woken up early and had searched the Manor, Batcave, and grounds for ages trying to find the Easter eggs... which Bruce had forgotten. The child had been heartbroken and angry when he realized what Bruce had done.

"I know." He said. "I have something planned. I promise."

The Flash smiled at him. "Great! Well, I'm off to hide some of these in Africa. See you soon!

* * *

><p><strong>Easter<strong>

**The Batcave**

Robin looked curiously at the black, red, and yellow object Batman had just handed him. "Is this a basket?" He asked, confused. He held it up to inspect it. When he turned it over the very bottom had the "R" symbol on it.

"Yes. It's your Easter Basket." Batman explained.

Robin smiled at him. "But we already had an Easter Egg Hunt at the Wayne Foundation today."

Bruce smirked and ruffled his hair. "That was just a warm up, Dickey."

He'd been so proud. Richard had managed to find all of the eggs within ten minutes at the Wayne Foundation event. He'd been good though and only taken his allotted twelve that each child got - admittedly he'd figured out which ones had the best things and taken twelve of those - and then helped other children find the rest of the eggs.

A smile spread over Dick's face. "So now we get to have a _real_one?"

"Yes. They're hidden all over Gotham. You'll have to keep a close eye out while we're on Patrol."

Robin let out a whoop. "This is going to be fun!"

Batman chuckled softly at his ten year old's excitement. "Get in the car. We're leaving." Dick back flipped his way into the front seat. When he landed inside he gave another cry.

"I found one!" He announced. He reached under his seat to pull up a black egg. He carefully placed it in his basket as Batman sat in the driver's seat. "That was easy."

"They get harder." Batman promised.

* * *

><p>"Up there! I see one!" Robin called. They'd landed on their usual positions on Wayne Tower. It was their first stop of the night. Almost immediately he'd noticed a small red object about twenty feet up from their perch. He put his basket down and shot his grappling hook up. It landed with a clang and he shot up to the top of the tower.<p>

He landed on the thin pointed top of the tower and slowly edged his way across towards the egg. This time it was red. Standing on tiptoe he managed to swipe it off the edge.

When Robin landed back beside Batman he held out his prize in delight. "I got it!" He announced proudly.

"So I see." Batman smirked.

Robin carefully nuzzled the egg beside the black one in his basket. Then he took up his position beside Batman, watching the streets below.

In almost no time, the sound of police sirens filled the air. Robin sighed. He didn't understand why people felt the need to be bad on holidays.

"Come on." Batman murmured. Already the Bat was swinging through the buildings, following the police cars. Robin followed after securing his basket to his utility belt.

They ended up at the Gotham Bank. The wall had been blown away, leaving a gaping hole to the inside of the bank. Bright flashes of yellow light could be seen flashing inside. Robin squinted his eyes against the glow.

"Firefly." Batman muttered. The police were surrounding the bank, but it was doubtful they'd be able to get close. Batman nodded at Robin and the two of them swung in before the police could make a move.

"That's far enough, Firefly." Batman ordered as they landed. Firefly spun around. He had been in the process of melting the safe door. Now the man just glared at them and aimed his gun.

"Move!" Batman ordered as intense flames shot towards them. Robin leapt out of the way. Firefly moved towards Batman, completely ignoring Robin in favor of the bigger issue. Robin smirked. That just meant he had a clear shot.

He pulled one of his batarangs out of his pocket and threw it at the man. It hit off the back of his helmet. Firefly swore loudly and spun around to face him. Robin made a face and did a handspring to avoid his flamethrower.

"Can't catch me!" Robin shouted.

Firefly growled in annoyance, trying to hit the bouncing boy. In his attempt he forgot about Batman for a moment, allowing the elder to get in close. One punch sent the villain flying backwards. He landed unconscious a moment later.

Robin giggled merrily and cartwheeled to his mentor's side. "That was easy." He said cheerfully. He tugged on Batman's cape impatiently. "Come on. Let's go hunt for more eggs."

"In a moment." Batman said as Commissioner Gordon entered with a squad of police.

The Commissioner glanced at the fallen Firefly, then at Batman. He nodded his thanks. Then his eyes landed on Robin and a frown formed on his face. "What is that?" He asked. There was something hanging off the side of Robin's belt from a long thin handle.

"That's my Easter Egg basket!" Robin chirped. He held it up to show the Commissioner. "See? I already found two."

The Commissioner glanced at Batman in confusion. Had Batman set up this? _Why_ had he? Sure, he knew the Bat had a heart, but he hadn't thought that Batman would have done something so … kind or normal, especially when they should be patrolling.

At his questioning gaze Batman mouthed 'training'. The Commissioner simply raised a brow at that one. _Yeah right_.

"What's that in your pocket?" Robin asked him suddenly, breaking his thoughts. The child was pointing to his coat pocket in interest.

"Nothing. I..." His hand reached inside and he frowned. Wait, something _was_ there. He didn't remember putting anything in his pocket though.

A smile lit up Robin's face. "Can I have it, please?"

He drew out his hand. When he opened it a bright blue egg sat there. "Here you are." He said slowly, handing it over to the beaming child. He glanced at the Bat. If he didn't know better he would have sworn the man was smirking.

"Come on, Robin. We have to go."

"Ok! Bye Commissioner! Thanks for the egg!"

Gordon simply scratched his head in confusion as the two vigilantes left the scene. He never would understand bats.

* * *

><p>The next egg was harder to find. Robin wouldn't have even known it was there had Batman not insisted they stay there a moment longer, even if the street was completely deserted. Usually if the street was empty they'd move on in a second, so Robin knew it had to be around there somewhere.<p>

His eyes scanned the narrow street. This was a nicer part of town. There weren't as many hiding spaces, for the streets were clear of garbage and streetlights lined the streets. They filled the street's every corner with a dull light, keeping it lit and safe.

Robin paused suddenly. "Oh! I get it." He grinned. He jumped down onto the street where the one streetlight's light didn't quite fill up the whole section. He shimmied up to the top of the lamppost and reached under the cap. There he found a light yellow egg wedged between the light bulb and the metal. When he pulled it away, the light once again filled the whole alley way.

"I got it!" He called up to Batman. The man smiled slightly and inclined his head, signaling that it was time for them to move on.

* * *

><p>Five men were sitting in a dark alleyway just behind a jewelry shop. The men were all loading their guns and murmuring in low voices.<p>

"Hi there!"

One of the men cursed loudly when Robin's happy tone broke their silence. They spun around to see the child dangling upside-down from the building's awning, grinning at them.

"You know, it isn't nice to steal, especially on a Holiday."

The shock wore off and one man lifted his rifle, aiming it at Robin. The boy made a face at him and back flipped out of the way, just as he shot off his gun. "I guess I'll have to teach you!" Robin called as he landed behind the men now.

"Like you could do anything, kid." Another man growled. He shot off his gun. Robin simply leapt out of the way. He sprung high into the air and landed on another one of the group's shoulders, bringing him to the ground in a single move.

In a second he'd whipped out a handful of batarangs and thrown them at two of the men. His other hand reached for a length of rope with two weights on the ends. He threw this at the other man.

Four down. One to go. He turned around to see the thug's shocked expression. Robin laughed in delight. Then he sprung up and hit the man hard in the stomach. He went reeling backwards. A swift upper punch had him falling against the hard ground.

Soon Robin had the five men tied up and had radioed the police. He turned towards the thugs. Two of them were unconscious. The others were nursing small wounds and a large wounded ego.

"Did you guys happen to see an egg around here?" Robin asked them cheerfully.

The thugs just stared at him. "A what?" One muttered.

"An Easter Egg." Robin said. They all stared at him in confusion. Robin rolled his eyes. "I figured you didn't. It was worth a shot." His eyes searched the area, before landing on the awning. A smile lit up his face and he jumped on top. Hidden in the coroner in the exact shade of blue as the awning, was an Easter Egg. He held it up proudly and looked up to the rooftop where Batman was sitting.

"Found it!"

* * *

><p>The fifth egg was hidden in an abandoned building across the street from their usual hideout. The sixth was hidden in one of the alleyways. The seventh was behind the bat signal. And the eighth… well, he couldn't quite find it yet.<p>

Robin crossed his arms grumpily as they stood on top of the roof, looking in at an illegal weapons factory. He knew it had to be around here _somewhere_. He just wasn't sure where. "Are you _sure_ you put it here?" Robin questioned. He'd searched every inch of the roof and the surrounding rooftops to no avail.

"I said it was somewhere around here." Batman said. His eyes never left the skylight that showed the inside of the weapons factory.

"Oh." Robin frowned for a moment.

Batman gave him a slight smile, amused. "Come on. Time to go." He nodded at the skylight and shot off his grappling hook. Robin followed suit.

"Can you tell me if I'm getting warmer?" Robin questioned as they burst through the glass.

They landed crouched on the ground. In the ten seconds it took for the thugs to realize what had happened and pull out their guns, Batman nodded. "Warmer." He whispered, before running at one of the men.

A haze of bullets shot out. Robin nimbly jumped each one. His laugh echoed merrily around the building. "How about now?" He called as he landed on one thug.

"Colder!" Batman called back.

Robin frowned. He pulled out his bow staff and quickly knocked three of the members to the ground. He back flipped his way away from the corner and tried a different place. "Here?"

"Slightly warmer." Batman said as he punched a man in the face.

Robin's eyes took in the area for a second before a man swung his fist at his face. Robin ducked and punched the man in the stomach. He jumped up and threw some batarangs around, effectively knocking out five more thugs. He darted closer to Batman.

"Warmer." Batman said. He grabbed a gun out of a thug's head and threw it at another, knocking him unconscious.

Robin darted and flipped through the gang, making quick work of them. He kept calling out "Warmer? Colder? How about now?" To which Batman would respond. Until finally he was fighting the main boss while Batman tied up the rest of the thugs with an amused smile.

"You're really close!" Batman said. He watched with interest as his little bird easily fought off the man.

"Really?" A bright smile lit up the child's face. He darted up the wall and landed on the man's head, whacking his hands hard into his skull. The man fell to the ground, moaning. Robin perched on his back, looking around.

He took a few steps to the left. "Colder." Batman said. Frowning, Robin took three steps to the right and a few forward. "Warmer." A few more steps forward. "Got it."

Robin frowned. Then he noticed, hidden in between two of the crates, was a brown egg. He pulled it out triumphantly. "I got it!"

* * *

><p>The next egg was hidden in an alcove. The next in a window frame of the building. That one had been really hard to find. Another had been in the dumpster. Yet another had been hidden in the sign for Arkham Asylum.<p>

It was getting late now; or rather it was early morning. Robin sat next to Batman on the roof of the tower, counting up his eggs. "Twelve." He announced with a smile.

Batman ruffled his hair. "Good work. I think it's time to head home now."

"Did I get them all?"

"Oh… I don't know." He smirked as they jumped into the Batmobile. "I think there may be some hidden in the cave."

"Oh cool!" Robin's eyes were wide with delight. "This is the best Easter Egg Hunt ever!"

* * *

><p>"Hi Alfred!" Dick's voice echoed cheerfully as he jumped out of the Batmobile. The old butler smiled when Dick held out his basket for inspection. "Bruce said there are <em>more<em>!"

"Well then, you should go find them. I doubt any of the bats would be pleased to find them hidden about."

Dick nodded and darted off through the catacombs of the cave. He crawled under machinery and on top of equipment. He looked through the trophy cases and in the weapons room. Every time he found one he'd rush back to their sides to show them, his eyes shining in delight.

"Very good." Bruce would say each time. Then Dick would put it back in his basket and dart back off. His beaming smile never left his face.

"Much better than last year, sir." Alfred said with a smile as Dick once again brought them another egg.

Bruce nodded. "I would hope so…. He seems to really enjoy this."

"Children do like games, Master Bruce." Alfred said, chuckling. "My word!" He exclaimed a second later when a very dirty Richard appeared.

They child put a black Easter egg in his basket. He gave them a sheepish smile. "It was hidden in the machinery area. I kind of got some oil on me."

"Just a little." Bruce chuckled. He knelt down to rub some of the substance off Dick's cheek. "Ok, Dickey, there is just one more left. But why don't we go upstairs and get you cleaned up first?"

"Ok." He grabbed his basket and rushed upstairs. Bruce followed along with Alfred, who was shaking his head at Bruce's choice of hiding spaces.

* * *

><p>They had gone to their respective rooms, washed up, and changed into their night clothes. It was now almost four in the morning. The ten year old was getting sleepy. Still, he was waiting at his doorway for Bruce impatiently. He still needed to find that last egg.<p>

"Come on. Into bed." Bruce chided lightly.

"—but the egg!" Dick protested.

"Bedtime. You're tired." He said. "You can get your prizes in the morning."

It wasn't hard for him to get Dick to lie down. As soon as his head had hit the pillow, his eyes had begun to close. Bruce handed over Batbear who had a pair of bunny ears on tonight. Dick tugged the stuffed animal under his chin and shifted on his pillow, trying to get comfortable.

"Thank you." Dick mumbled sleepily. "I liked the Egg Hunt. It was fun."

"Better than last year?" Bruce asked softly.

Dick grinned brightly. "Much."

"Good." Bruce smiled softly and reached down to smooth Dick's hair. "Goodnight, little bird."

"'night." Bruce stood to leave but Dick called out for him one last time. He turned around, waiting.

With a sleepy smile, Dick drew out the final egg from underneath his pillow. "Found it." He slurred.

Chuckling, Bruce took the egg from the Dick's hand and put it on his bedside table. He pressed a kiss to the child's forehead as the boy drifted off to sleep. "Good work, my little detective."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hoped you enjoyed it! The first segment with the mention of the first Easter where Bruce had forgotten to do the egg hunt was actually the first story I was going to write. But Then I decided to do something light and fluffy instead.**

**Please leave me a review! **

**Thank you for reading!**


End file.
